Two Broken Pieces
by TabbyReynolds
Summary: Regina plans to take down her mother and she enlists the help of the only person she knows who would be willing to help her. In exchange for Captain Hook's help, she will aid him in killing Rumplestiltskin. Sometimes the person you're least expecting is the only person that can heal you.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first ever Hooked Queen fic! Some parts of this will follow the actual storyline of the show but a lot of it will be altered to fit the story. I have more chapters planned so I hope you guys enjoy it!**

Regina walked down the dock slowly, trying to notice any sign of the invisible ship that she knew to be here. She kept her hands tucked into her black jacket and the sound of her black high heels clicking with every step echoed all around her. Regina always looked her best, even if she felt her very worst on the inside.

The cold night air was blowing strands of her hair into her face and she noted that if it weren't for the bright moon that hung overhead the night would be completely dimmed. The water splashing against the pier on both sides of her was as black as the sky.

She didn't need to walk too far down before she found the obscure vessel. To an outsider, it would have been nearly impossible to spot but Regina was adept at finding magic in hidden places. Putting one foot onto the board that led to the ship's deck, she hesitantly took a step onto what appeared to be nothing and after a few more, she was on a rather majestic pirate ship. The old sails and worn wood had clearly been through hell and back but she sensed that it was a lot stronger than it appeared. Regina knew its captain wouldn't settle for anything less than the best.

She walked around a little, admiring the ship. It reminded her of home; not her house here in Storybrooke, her real home. She wasn't sure why, because she had never even been here before. Perhaps it was because this ship had last set sail from the Fairytale Land. She realized how much she missed it. Though she had been the one to bring everyone to this new world, she only did it as a last resort. Truth be told, Regina missed her castle.

She knew she couldn't sneak around the ship. Her heels made that nearly impossible. That was not her intention though. She figured on a quiet night like this he would be able to hear the sound of a pin dropping anywhere near his most prized possession.

"Like what you see?" she heard a voice behind her ask and when she turned, she saw Captain Hook standing on an upper level of the deck just a few feet away. He leaned against a railing as he looked down at her, arms folded across his chest and his sword attached securely near the hip of his pants. He looked like every bit the infamous captain that he was.

Regina smiled at him and took a few steps toward him. "I always do."

"I'm quickly learning that no one in this bloody town believes in waiting to be invited onto a man's ship before entering it."

"I seem to recall a few hours ago you let yourself into my house and strolled into my bedroom as I spoke with my mother. I assumed we were past knocking on doors."

The smile on his face grew and he practically hopped down off of the higher level and strolled over to her so that they were now eye to eye. "Oh, so that's why you're here. The thought of me in your bedroom was driving you mad so you came to me to finish where we left off."

She laughed. "Are you forgetting where we actually left off today? My mother sent you flying into a bookshelf after stealing your treasure map."

Hook waved his left arm to indicate that he wasn't interested. She noticed that at the end of his arm there was nothing there. He had removed the glove that Cora had lent him today. "We can deal with the issues…afterwards, like we used to." He added a wink.

Regina knew what he was referring to. Her mind wandered back to when the two had first met all those years ago. She had caught him after he broke into her castle and asked him if he'd like to have a drink. They drank, she asked a favor of him, he accepted and before she knew it they were in her bedroom. It had happened multiple times after that but it wasn't anything serious to either of them. Back then they had been a lot alike. She told herself she was different now as an image of Henry popped into her head.

"Unfortunately for you, I am only here to bring you a gift," she said, deciding not to reveal the true reason for her visit until the timing was right. She placed a hand to his chest to stop any further advances. He looked disappointed as she walked away and put her purse on a barrel and started searching through her things.

"You know, love, giving me a present doesn't pardon you from stealing my map today. Forgive and forget isn't part of the pirate's code." Apparently once he realized she wasn't there for anything physical he decided he was mad about today's events afterall.

She finally found the item she had been looking for at the bottom of her bag.

"Forgiveness isn't what I'm after," she said as she turned toward him and held out her hand, which held a polished, sharp hook.

"My hook," he said more to himself than to her.

"I took it from the hospital today when I went to pay our mutual friend Belle a visit."

"To what do I owe this random act of kindness?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the hook in her hand.

"Let's call it a change of heart."

He grinned in a mocking way and his eyes found hers. "And I'm to just…take my belonging back, no questions asked?"

"If you think I'm going to stand here and answer the questions of a pirate, you're sadly mistaken. You can take your hook or you cannot. I have no ulterior motives."

She knew he had trust issues. Why shouldn't he? Just today alone he had been double-crossed by the only ally he had at the moment. Regina was unsure what thoughts were running through his head at the moment but whatever they were, he reached out and took his hook back.

Regina watched as he placed it in its former position and twisted it so that it locked in place. He raised it and studied it closely, before in one quick motion he had her pushed up against a beam that was behind her, his hook under her chin.

"You don't want to do this," she warned through clenched teeth.

He returned her glare. "No, I really think I do. I've been watching you, Regina. For whatever reason, you've been hesitant about your magic."

"I don't know what you think you've seen but I am still more than capable of- "

"Well then, your Majesty, why am I still pressing you up against a beam?"

She opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. How could she possibly explain to him what was going on? If she was going to follow through with her plan, she needed to go about it the right way. And immediately telling her plan to a pirate was surely not the right way. Besides, if Hook had trust issues, Regina had trust _hurdles_.

"What is Cora's plan?" he whispered to her.

She shoved him hard. "You know her plan!" He lost his grip on her. He stumbled back a little but managed to catch himself before he could fall. "She's after the dagger. She wants power. Now, what's your plan?"

"I want my revenge."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know that. I've been hearing about that for the last few decades."

"I'm going to find him, and I'm going to kill him. Does that clear things up for you, lass?" he asked sarcastically.

"You're going to him? In New York?"

"Aye."

He turned and walked down steps that led to below deck and she followed right on his tail. She told him he couldn't go there, that it was dangerous. She continued on and on, needing him to know that he couldn't leave, though she was almost positive he wasn't listening. He needed to listen though. She wouldn't be able to use him if he went after Rumplestiltskin right now.

When they got to what appeared to be his chambers, he sat down behind an old desk that was covered with maps and empty bottles of rum. There were also little trinkets scattered all over the place. They were seemingly useless but she knew he wouldn't have kept them if they were.

"Are you done yet, my dear? It's getting rather late and while your unwanted visit on my ship proved to be rewarding," he said with a gesture to his hook, "I am fatigued with disinterest on your ramblings so if you'd be so kind as to shut the door on your way out."

He smiled at her as he put his feet up and in a flash she was home again. She was in Fairytale Land and she was the Evil Queen so many feared. She didn't even need to raise a hand to send ropes flying towards him so that he was now fastened tightly in the chair he was sitting in.

Hook was yet again tied down. He was beginning to grow tiresome of it but he supposed there wasn't much he could do. In a war against magic and conventional, he was on the losing side.

Regina walked slowly toward him, like a predator narrowing in on his prey. She put a hand on both sides of the chair he was secured to and leaned down so that their faces were nearly touching.

"Captain, I think you seem to be forgetting your place. This may be your ship but this is my town, so I will leave when I am damn ready and if you have any remarks to make about it, I'll burn your precious ship to the ground with a flick of my finger. So don't test me, Captain Hook."

Oh, she was fiery. He could see it in her eyes. He hadn't seen it in the past few days he had been with her; hadn't seen it since she hired him to kill Cora all those years ago. Something had changed within the woman since then that was for sure. But he knew if he could rile her up he would be able to find it again.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't turned on right now but I shall offer my apologies for putting you off regardless."

She looked satisfied and backed away, leaving him still tethered to the chair. She sat on the desk.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," he told her. He could see the change in her expression, though she tried to hide it. He also noticed that she was doing everything she could to not look at the bonds she had conjured up to hold him in place. Evidently she didn't want to see the magic she had produced.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied. "And anyways, we weren't talking about me. We were talking about you staying in Storybrooke."

"Why do my whereabouts matter to you?" he asked.

He watched her choose her words carefully. A good liar always did, he knew.

"Your whereabouts wouldn't matter to me at all if you hadn't sailed here with my mother. Now we have to be…strategic with our next moves."

"We?"

"I think we can help each other."

He wanted to tell her absolutely not. He wanted to be untied from the chair and left alone. He just wanted to get the hell out of this place so that he could kill Rumplestiltskin.

He was obviously attracted to her. He had been since the first time he ever saw her. She was the most beautiful woman he had seen in a long time. But he didn't like her. He wasn't interested in growing attached to someone. He didn't want Regina putting off his plans of vengeance any longer.

"Unless you are going to untie me and point me in the direction of New York, I don't foresee you helping me," he said.

She stood up and walked around a little. He never took his eyes off of her.

"We can both agree that there are unwanted people in our lives that we'd like to be rid of," she said and she looked at him to see if he had an argument. When he didn't, she continued. "I can tell you right now that if you kill Rumplestiltskin, my mother will kill you. She is after his dagger and the dagger is only useful if he is still alive."

"Cora poses no threat to me," he said even though not one part of him believed it.

"Doesn't she?" she asked and he knew she didn't believe him either. "If you kill Rumple, my mother is going to kill you. It's as simple as that. She wants the dagger because she wants control."

"And you're telling me this to save my life because of my charming personality?"

"I'm telling you this because if you help me kill my mother, I'll help you kill Rumplestiltskin."

"I don't need your help," he said immediately.

"Because you've been doing so well without it?" She stopped her pacing and leaned her hands on the desk once more.

"I'll have you know, love, that I am right on schedule." He grinned before asking the one question that he wanted answered most. "What do you need my help for?"

"I want you to assist me in killing my mother," she said in a slightly quieter, perhaps shyer tone than he was used to. He wondered if she could have said something like that to anyone else without being judged. Not only had he killed more people than he could keep track of, but he had spent a lot of time with Cora. Even he had to admit she was less than congenial.

He knew he would have to help the poor woman. If for no other reason that it would come in handy in the future to have someone who owed him. And truth be told if he had to wait for Rumplestiltskin to return before he could kill him, he would once again be unsuccessful because the damned coward would be able to hide behind his magic once more.

"And would I be able to willingly accept or deny your offer or are these ropes going to force me to do whatever you please?" he asked as he nodded his head towards the pulleys that were starting to become even more difficult.

She glanced over at him and seemed to remember. "Hm? Oh yes, of course."

The ropes untied at the wave of her hand and he stretched his arms out and reached for a bottle of rum that had been just out of reach the entire time. He took two big gulps before placing it back on the table and watched as Regina helped herself to some as well.

"You'll understand my disinclination in trusting you, I imagine. After all, just a few hours ago you and Cora used me and then left me behind. "

She dragged her finger over the bottle in her hands, outlining the rim before she drank some more. Normally he was very finicky about whom he shared his rum with but this time he let it slide. Regina sat down on his desk again and placed the bottle where it had been before.

"I anticipated your hesitation, understandably. So I am going to tell you a story, Captain. I need you to know that if the circumstances were different, you would never know this part of me."

He wanted to tell her to hurry up and get on with it. Not because he was bored or wanted her to leave, but because the anticipation growing inside of him was making him dizzy. What could this woman possibly say that would make him change his mind about her?

"Do you remember that day when I caught you in my prison cell all those years ago? I asked you to join me for a drink and then asked even more of you. When I asked you to kill my mother, you asked what she had done to cause me such…pain." She was staring at the ground now, less sure of herself than he had ever seen. The power had left her and it had been replaced with would he could only describe as meekness. She spoke agonizingly slow. "I was in love once, with a stable boy named Daniel. My mother always had hoped for a better life than what we had and she saw opportunity in me. So one day when I saved young Snow White's life, I was forced to accept her father's hand in marriage. I couldn't do it though. I couldn't marry one man while I loved another so Daniel and I hatched a plan to run away together. It was so beautifully perfect," she whispered and a sad smiled grew on her face. "Everything was in place, we met late at night and were prepared to leave, when my mother showed up. She had learned of my true feelings for Daniel. She had learned that he was the obstacle to my life of unwanted royalty. So all I could do was watch as she…ripped out his heart, and crushed it into dust."

He wondered if anyone ever looked so beautiful baring the deepest part of their soul.

Hook hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath as she recounted her tale. The silence that filled the air now was heavy with emotion. He was sure Regina would be crying if he hadn't been there. He got the feeling it was the first time she had ever told anyone about that. He had never seen her like this. So…exposed. She looked downright pitiful as she continued looking at the floor.

As for him, he was absolutely disgusted. He had to control himself from shaking with anger. The woman he had been hired to kill all those years ago had done to her what had been done to him. He knew Regina knew that he had been through the same thing so she knew she had hit a nerve. He was grateful she wasn't looking at him.

She had been right. What she told him had changed his opinion on her entirely. She was no longer the devious, brash ruler. She was a lost mourner. She wanted vengeance just as bad as he did. She was like him.

Rather than telling her he understood, or trying to comfort her, or even apologizing for letting Cora live all of this time, he said what would wrap all of that up into one question.

"So when would you like to begin?"

Her head darted up as if she had actually doubted that he would team up with her. Apparently some of her confidence was just for show. It was back in an instant though as she hopped down off the table and walked over to gather her purse. As she hung the strap over her shoulder, he could see the control come back into her.

"Meet me on the rooftop across from Gold's shop tomorrow. I trust you know where it is?"

All he could do was nod because his mind was busy trying to figure out how she knew he had chosen that spot to survey the town when he first arrived.

"Splendid. Don't be late. I have no interest in wasting my time."

With that she flipped her short hair over her shoulder and strode out of the room, once again becoming her feared persona.


	2. Chapter 2

Captain Hook stood atop the rooftop he had decided would be his a few weeks back. He had chosen it for one obvious reason: the view to the shop owned by the crocodile. Standing here now, though, he noted how stunning the outlook was in regards to the rest of the town. He could see miles of this meaningless town he had sailed into. He wondered if he would have hated this place so much if the circumstances had been different. For so long, he had seen Storybrooke as Rumplestiltskin's home, his safe haven. Now he viewed the place as his own prison. He was only supposed to be here for a few days time and now it seemed like an endless supply of obstacles would never let him complete his plan and be on his way.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the familiar footsteps of his new accomplice. Regina always wore shoes that gave her away before he even had the chance to see her. He took it as a sign of confidence and he admired her for it.

"You're late," he noted bitterly.

"I'm never late." She was once again wearing all black and her face showed the same determination as when she was leaving his ship last night. "I've decided I'll be able to delay my mother for a little while as she searches for the dagger but that won't buy us much time so we will need to be proficient."

"Ah, that's much better than my idea to approach this as incompetently as possible."

She gave him a look that told him she was unimpressed with his remark as she walked closer to him and leaned against the low wall so that she was looking at Rumplestiltskin's shop as well. "I wanted to ask you about your previous attempt at killing my mother. What exactly did she say that made you change your mind?"

"It wasn't what she said that changed my mind. I'm not that easily bought, dear. I kept my word and made to kill her. Unfortunately when I reached into her chest like you told me to, it was empty," he explained. "Not that hard to believe after ye spend some time with her."

She laughed once, though he was unsure if she had meant to let it slip out. She covered it up quickly and he felt her stiffen once more at his side.

"So that's the missing puzzle piece. She keeps her heart somewhere else, somewhere safer," Regina thought aloud more to herself than to him. She stood up straight and strummed her fingers against the concrete, deep in thought.

It was then that Hook realized something and he pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Your Majesty," he started, using his usual slightly sarcastic tone as he called her that. He felt that it was inane to call a woman he had known for so long, and so intimately at one time, such a refined title. "Am I to believe that until I told you that very crucial bit of information you had virtually no plan about how to go about killing Cora?"

"My plan was to get information from you that would help us kill her," she told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She tightened her coat around her and stood up straighter. "Now that I have completed step one, I know that we don't need to go after the dagger. She wouldn't have left her heart unprotected in Wonderland so we need to search your ship."

Regina didn't wait for him to make a remark, which he would have if she had given him the chance. He didn't like being told what to do, especially where his ship was concerned. But instead he kept his mouth shut and admired her as she walked away before snapping out of it and stopping her.

"Darling, you don't think it would look a bit suspicious if the two of us were seen walking around town together?" She stopped walked and he sauntered over to her slowly. "Though I really don't mind following close behind. I've no objection to the view."

He heard her laugh lightly again, which caught him off guard. He wanted to ask how she could manage to laugh, even as lightly as she just did, after all that she had been through. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly laughed. She turned to face him and put her hand out towards him.

"You're absolutely right. Take my hand."

She pulled him close; too close. He felt like he had traveled back in time to that day in the cell tower, the day that had led to so many after that. And now, just like every other time, an image of Milah popped into his head.

Milah. _His _Milah. His beautiful love who had been ripped from him all too quickly. Not a day went by that she wasn't on his mind. He saw her everywhere. He felt her everywhere. He could still smell her natural scent, like flowers and the sea. And now, as he once again stood too close to the woman in front of him, like every other time, her smiling face was all he saw in his head.

Regina smiled at his perplexed face. He masked it quickly though and smiled precariously at her. He wondered if the man she had told him about last night was on her mind in moments like this as well.

It all happened in an instant, despite his deep thoughts. She grabbed his hand, they locked eyes and smiled, and the next thing he knew they were back on his boat.

"Next time a bit of warning might be valued."

Regina let go of Hook's hand and they both made the same mock sad face at each other. She evened out her skirt and fixed her hair while Hook seemed to be getting his bearings back. She knew how it felt the to travel with magic. The first time is never easy.

"I would've expected a man of your skillfulness to handle quick transportation better," she said as she gestured to the boat that they stood on even though she knew it wasn't the best thing to do. "Or is your ship not as fast as you say?"

The Captain didn't even crack a smile. "My ship is the fastest in all the realms. Now would you like to begin our search before I change my mind?"

She laughed at his anger and followed as he led the way below deck. She noticed the way he walked. She decided he strutted around this place like he had all the power in the world, similar to the way Regina had walked throughout her entire kingdom, including Storybrooke.

"So this is where you two kept Dr. Hopper?" she asked as she wiped her finger against the wall as she walked by, and then grimaced at the dust it had collected. She wondered when the last time the ship had been cleaned and realized a crew of pirates couldn't care less about some dirt. Perhaps Milah had kept it tidy.

"That nervous little man Cora kidnapped?" he asked over his shoulder as he continued to lead the way. "Yes, he stayed here. I don't think he cared much for the place."

"Most prisoners don't," she replied, knowing full well due to the fact that she had had her fair share of prisoners.

They finally reached a closed door that was hidden more than the other place on the ship. There were no candles igniting the area around it and if Hook hadn't stopped in front of it she probably would have passed right by it. There was also a huge lock on it, of course.

"Cora left the key with me, as I've given her no reason not to trust me." Regina didn't believe it was that simple and she doubted Hook did either, despite his cockiness. "I keep it in my front pocket, if you'd care to give me a hand."

He gestured to the front of his pants. The pocket was in dangerous territory, which explained the smirk on his face and all she could do was roll her eyes. She didn't have time for this.

"What, now both of your hands are useless?"

She assumed he wouldn't have liked that comment but a devious smile appeared on his face. "Quite the contrary, my dear. I have faith you remember that though."

She played along and smiled right back at him but neither of them chose to take it any further so he broke their eye contact and retrieved the key from his pocket. He turned the key and the lock fell to the ground, but when he turned the doorknob, it didn't budge.

"Evidently Cora still has some trust issues."

Regina expected as much. She knew Henry would be disappointed, but she also know this was for his own well-being. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured the counter for her mother's complicated lock spell that she had luckily already learned and they entered the hidden room.

There had to have been a hundred boxes. Some were stacked on top of each other nearly reaching the ceiling; while others were tipped to the side, apparently empty. Regina guessed the her mother had taken a few things with her, like the spell she used to fake Archie's death and the makeshift hand she had given to Hook.

She tried to use a reclaiming spell to find what they were looking for but Cora had put even more, stronger protective spells inside the actual room. S

"I suppose we should get started," she sighed and took her coat off to be more comfortable. Then she knelt down on the ground, her knees folded under her, and she grabbed the closest box to her and began sifting through it. Hooked walked to the other side of the room, which was only about fifteen feet away, and sat down on one box while he picked up another to go through.

Moments passed and they both worked efficiently, going through each box one at a time and examining it carefully. Magic could be hidden anywhere, and Regina found that _dark_ magic tended to lurk in the most unexpected, carefully chosen places.

"This is pointless," Hook finally groaned as he dropped the box he had just finished going through. "I've scoured all the seas in all the lands for treasure and it wasn't as challenging as this."

"Wonderful, I was hoping you'd so quickly feel comfortable enough around me to complain," Regina said as she continued looking through a box.

"I'm not complaining," Hook argued, sounding like a child who had just been accused of something. "I'm just bored."

Regina ignored him and tried to concentrate on not missing a think as she examined the box before her once more before moving it aside and grabbing the next one. She paused when she noticed that Hook was sitting in his chair, sharpening his hook.

She took a slow breath to calm herself because she was trying to change for Henry.

"If I wanted to do this on my own, I wouldn't have asked you for help."

"I told you I'd help and I always keep my word. I just haven't had a lick of rum since noon and you're not exactly the most riveting conversationalist."

Regina ignored him, though she wasn't looking through her mother's belongings anymore. She had been kneeling on the ground for hours and though she hated to admit it, she agreed with Hook. She was exhausted.

"Why _did_ you ask for my help?" he asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Ignoring him was hard and she was too tired to continue with it so while staring down at boots.

"Because I knew you'd be the only one willing to help," she started. "Emma and her parents wouldn't want to kill her, they'd be naïve enough to think they could just throw her in a cell and all their problems would go away. Then they'd judge me for even mentioning killing her. I couldn't go to Rumplestiltskin; once I told him he would only be concerned with his dagger and keeping it away from her. That leaves you. I knew once I told you my motives…you'd be the only one who understood. Even if I'm not killing her for the same reasons you're killing Rumplestiltskin, I didn't think you'd turn me away. And I was right."

He smiled. She wasn't sure why and it faded quickly, but it was definitely there.

"And why did you choose to tell him now about what Cora did to you now rather than all those years ago when you first requested my help?"

"I barely knew you then!"

"And now what? We're friends?"

"No," she snapped.

"Ooh, not very friendly, eh?" he asked as he laughed. He stood up and started coming towards he. She made an effort to stand too, which was quite difficult as she was kneeling on the ground in a skirt. As she was about halfway up, however, he reached her and pulled her up sharply. "I've always thought we've been as thick as thieves."

She snatched her elbow out of his grasp but didn't back away. She never did,

"We've done enough work today. I'll be back tomorrow morning to continue looking through the boxes. It's our only lead." She grabbed her black coat and started buttoning it up while continuing. "I'll come after I finish working with my mother. We have plans to start looking for the dagger. I trust the map doesn't actually lead to it?"

He shrugged and smiled. She smiled back at him, knowing full well that he wouldn't have given up something so powerful so easily. She turned to leave but paused before making any progress towards the door when a thought came to mind.

"Why don't you seem concerned that I'll be spending time with the woman we're planning to take down?"

"Love, I allowed you to board my ship and search through your mother's belongings for her heart because you want to crush it. I think it's a little late for either of us to be changing our minds about which side we're on."

"She'd kill us both, you know."

The words left a bitter taste in her mouth because they were true. She resented the woman for making Regina have to say them about her own mother.

"I suppose we'll just have to trust each other then," he said with a wink. She knew it was only because he wanted to lighten the mood. It was hard to deal with what they had been through without knowing how to pretend things were fine and dandy.

She nodded once and made to turn and leave but was yet again stopped; this time by Hook.

"Oi," he interjected. "If you're spending the morning with Cora, who am I to know whether it's truly you or not when you get here? I seem to recall the woman having an undeniable fondness for taking on the form of others."

Regina raised an eyebrow to let him know she was surprised that a man like him had thought of something so intelligent, especially since she hadn't. Still though she acted like she had had a plan all along without missing a beat.

"You're quick for a pirate," she smirked. "When I come tomorrow, I'll ask if you've read anything good lately."

He nodded. "Well then, until next time…" He grinned and she watched as he left the room and headed for the captain's quarters, where she assumed he was going to find some rum. Regina knew a gentleman would have had manners, he would have escorted her off the ship, but she also knew she wasn't dealing with a gentleman.

She wouldn't expect anything less from Captain Hook.

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the lovely feedback on the first chapter! Hope you liked this one. Let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**One Week Later**

His ship was quiet today, as per usual. It was always quiet while it was docked here in Storybrooke. There were no loud crewmembers hollering on deck, no seagulls squawking as they sat perched on the sails. Not one trace of sea life here in this bloody town.

Today it was particularly quiet though, because he was not alone. For the seventh day in a row the town's very own mayor joined him. They usually worked in silence, making a few comments to each other here or there. Sometimes they playfully flirted and other times they made light insults. When two people had a wall up, it was twice as hard to break through.

Their days together were like clockwork. She would let herself onto his ship, he would meet her down in their usual room with Cora's belongings, and they would go through her things for hours until one of them complained until they called it a day. Today it seemed, that person would be Regina.

"This has gotten us nowhere!" she sighed as she shoved the box she had just finished searching. He noticed that it was the last one on her side that needed to be examined and he had finished his pile a few moments ago. "Why couldn't she just be like a sane person and keep her heart in her body?"

Hook knew she wasn't hoping for an answer but he gave her one anyway. "I think there are very few things about this entire plan that are sane." When had a plan that involved a pirate and a queen murdering a crazy witch ever made sense?

"We've just wasted an entire week," she mumbled to herself, displaying a rare moment of doubt. He then saw her face change from uncertainty to anger. "I thought you said she kept all of her things in here."

"Don't start accusing me of causing this setback. I had no say in this course of action. Now are you going to continue wasting my time or do you have a back up plan?"

They were both on their feet now and both were angry with the other, more so due to frustration at their current situation than anything else. The room seemed smaller than it once was and they had already been working today for hours.

She huffed at him and he glared back but when she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, he knew what to expect next. In the blink of an eye, they were at the front gate of her house.

"I always have a back up plan," Regina said confidently as she smoothed her shirt and started searching through her purse.

He put his hand on his head and steadied himself. "Aye that makes me feel like I'm a dozen bottles of rum deep."

She ignored him and started walking towards her house and it was then that they both noticed a man

"Oh, Regina!" the man said happily as if he had been waiting to see her all day. Hook recognized him as the man Cora had kidnapped and brought aboard his ship. He was a quiet man, he seemed nervous every time Hook saw him. He was actually impressed that the man was still standing before him. Most people would have run in the other direction at the sight of Captain Hook, and this time he had the Evil Queen at his side.

"Dr. Hopper I believe I told you I was no longer interested in meeting with you," Regina said with disinterest as she continued searching through her purse. Hook noticed that while she did seem annoyed by his appearance at her house, she wasn't irate with him like she was with most people in town.

"I-I know, Regina. I just thought, given the new circumstances, you may have changed your mind," Dr. Hopper said kindly.

"New circumstances?" she asked him, now with her full attention focused on him and the key she had evidently been digging for in her hand.

"Perhaps you'd prefer to talk privately," he said, gesturing to Hook timidly.

"Oh yes, Dr. Hopper, I believe you've met my friend, Captain Hook."

Hook smiled and the man returned it.

"Vividly," he said with a laugh. Hook noted that the man seemed genuine with him. Though he was rather shy and awkward, he wasn't scared or cross with Hook, despite how they had met. Hook almost felt like he should shake the man's hand, but he settled for a simple nod in the man's direction.

"Bug, I assume the new circumstances you're referring to are the fact that my son has been taken out of state without my consent?"

"Exactly, Regina. If you wanted to talk-"

"Last time we talked the entire town knew about it," she pointed out with a tight smile. She still wasn't angry though.

The doctor shuffled on his feet and quickly glanced at Hook before going on. "You know I only did that to protect you from them. Your mother had-"

"I believe the lady made it clear she wasn't interesting in talking," Hook interrupted for a reason he was unsure of.

The man's mouth shut instantly and Regina looked over at him with a puzzled expression but she quickly turned her focus back to the doctor. "Dr. Hopper, I can handle my own problems. Now are you going to block my doorway all day or am I free to entire my own house?"

He sighed and made way for her to unlock the door, seeming to already forget Hook was even there at all. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that the man jumped slightly and backed away further so that Hook could follow Regina into the house. He could feel Dr. Hopper's baffled eyes watched them walk away together. That is, until Hook kicked the door shut with his foot as he walked by it.

"Do you always have a welcoming committee at your doorstep when you return home?" he asked as he looked around at the house. It was much bigger than he had expected it to be and wondered why one woman would need so much space. He was reminded that she had a roommate living with her when he saw a picture of what he assumed was Regina's son in a picture frame on a table.

Regina made her way into the kitchen. She had just reached the cabinet with the glasses when she felt Hook entered the room, though she had her back towards him.

"More likely than not," she answered seriously, even though his tone had been joking. She added lightly, "This is why a queen needs guards."

She looked over at her shoulder at him and he smiled at her. She felt herself smiling back. It was easy to note how handsome he looked in moments like this, when they both weren't consumed with anger and plans for retribution. The moment passed as quickly as it had presented itself.

"So your son…" he began, and Regina felt the dread in her stomach. She knew she would have to discuss him with the pirate at some point but she hadn't been looking forward to it. She wished she could have just kept him out of this whole mess.

"I was wondering when you'd ask me about him."

"Well we've spent every day together this week and you have yet to even mention him."

"There's not much to mention these days," she said as she set the glasses on the table and made way for a new bottle of wine that was on the counter. "You heard my conversation with the cricket; he's not in Storybrooke."

Hook rolled his eyes and sat on a chair by the counter. "Love, as your partner, I'm going to need a bit more information. I assume he's an important factor in all of this."

"Henry is the most important thing in my life. He's why I'm doing this. I need to protect him." She poured the red wine into the crystal clear glasses and handed one to Hook. She leaned against the counter.

"Forgive me if I'm slow, but if he's _your_ son, who is he with outside of Storybrooke?"

"Emma Swan," she said slowly, disgustedly.

"Ah, I know Emma. Dreadful blond girl. Wouldn't even allow me to get close enough to her to deceive her," he said, as if Emma had been the wrongful one in the situation. "If I recall, the girl was always rambling on about a little boy."

She nodded, her mouth full of wine, before placing the glass down on the counter. "Yes that's where it gets a bit tricky. Henry is both of our sons; hers by birth, mine by adoption. She didn't even know him until last year and then when the curse was broken, her family took him from me."

"Where I come from, people take what they want."

She leaned down closer to him. "We come from the same place." She whispered it because she was standing in such close proximity to him and it would bring them back to familiar territory. This is where they were comfortable, flirting meaninglessly. She put her hand on his the top of his sword, by his hip.

Hook smiled dangerously but didn't make any moves closer to her. His eyes looked her up and down with their usual mischievous glint. The black that rimmed his eyes only helped to make them appear more precarious. Just as she thought he would lean into her or perhaps make a comment back to her, he straightened up and the grin left his face.

"Well then, love, where is the boy?" he asked and motioned around to the room.

She felt herself tense up and quickly stood up straight and walked to the other side of the room so that the long counter was in between them.

"I took him back and then…he chose to leave," she sighed. She hoped he would sense that she was not interested in continuing.

"With Swan?" he pressed.

"You know, pirate, I don't usually answer questions I don't feel like answering."

"I usually get what I want so let's just skip a few steps here and tell me who the boy is with, shall we?"

Without thinking, she quickly blurted out, "Evidently he would rather spend his time with the savior and Rumplestiltskin, alright?"

Regina regretted it immediately and she instantly felt the mood in the room switch.

"Your son is on vacation with the crocodile?"

"Don't be dramatic. It isn't a vacation-"

"Well then what is it? A detail you forgot to mention?" He was on his feet now, seething.

"I didn't deem it important. I told you Rumplestiltskin was out of town."

"He's out of town with your son. The man you promised to help me destroy has your bloody son at his side!"

She was angry now too. She hadn't left out details. She hadn't done this on purpose. She had only meant to leave Henry out of this. Why did he still not trust her?

"This doesn't change anything! I will still help you kill him."

"And I don't have any cause to doubt you, right? Because you've never given me reason not to take your word. I'd go to Wonderland to kill Cora and then you'd ship me off here with no memories."

"Don't you take whatever notions my mother instilled in your twisted little head and use them against me," she yelled as she pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You have no idea how I would have helped you all those years ago and you have no idea how I will help you now."

Hook stepped closer to her. "I see exactly how you plan on helping me this time. Use me to kill your mother and then send me further back in my plans to kill your son's friend."

She was so angry she couldn't find the words to scream back him. How dare him yell at her about her son? How _dare _he accuse her of conspiring against him.

The only sounds in the room were their heavy breathing as they stood now only a foot apart, each of them glaring at the other.

"We're done here," Regina finally said through clenched teeth. She realized it was a mistake to have teamed up with someone who had such issues trusting someone.

He didn't say anything, just held her eye contact. He was unmoving as she finally brushed past him and left the room, leaving him to let himself out of her house.

Regina lay in her bed; eyes wide open staring at the ceiling. She replayed their fight in her head a hundred times out of frustration. She hadn't meant to burn her one final bridge down. She didn't even understand why it had gotten so blown out of proportion. They both had gotten so angry so quickly. He seemed to be as stubborn as she was because any other people probably would have taken a breath and talked it out.

But she had stormed out and he had let her go. She heard the front door slam shut a few seconds after she had gotten upstairs. And that was the end of it.

Daniel would have came upstairs with her and made her talk to him. Hell, there were times Charming had even taken the time to reconcile with her. But Hook was different and she knew that.

She suddenly wished she had handled everything differently. She thought of when she had manipulated people in the past but she realized she didn't want to do that with him. He had implied that he didn't trust her already so she wanted to be honest with him. Regina knew this plan wouldn't work if there was no trust.

Her mind then wondered to whether or not she trusted the captain. She knew she _had_ to, but she wondered if the circumstances were different, would she?

She couldn't answer it. Sure, he had never let her down in the past; apart from the Wonderland ordeal that today she had found out that there were issues on both sides with that. She had known the man for 30 years and he had always shown up. He had been willing to lead her to the dagger, the most powerful object in Storybrooke at the moment.

Regina fell asleep thinking about trust and woke up in a daze. Forcing herself to get out of bed and get dressed, she accepted the fact that today she would need to start entirely over. All by herself.

Wearing black pants and a dark gray shirt, she put on her usual heels and walked downstairs, where she paused when she saw a man sitting in her kitchen. She didn't waste any time standing at the base of the stairway as she quickly pulled herself together and walked with faux confidence. She headed straight to the coffee pot.

"I assume you're ready to continue our search for the heart?" she asked as she started preparing the coffee. Her heart thudded in her chest as she waited for him to either yell at her some more or confirm that he was still on her side.

"Aye," was all he said.

"Fewer interruptions today, I hope."

"I've been trying to begin for an hour but you've been bloody sleeping all morning." She noticed there was no annoyance in his voice. All the anger from yesterday seemed to have dissipated,

Because her back was towards him, she snuck a small smile. She still had someone on her side.

"Tick tock," Hook said, rushing her as she poured herself some of the coffee she had just made. When she turned around, however, he had his smile on.

Yes, she thought to herself, perhaps she did trust Captain Hook.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter! My finals are next week so after that I will probably be updating quicker. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Regina sat at her desk, strumming her fingers against a short stack of papers in front of her as her mother watched from a chair on the other side of the desk.

Cora was stiff, her eyes staring at Regina's hands without blinking much. She was deep in thought; and angry, so angry. Hook's map hadn't led them to the dagger, as he had warned Regina, but she had played it dumb and acted as surprised as Cora had. After they dug a hole where the map had led them, Cora made Regina dig a few more around the area just to be safe. Her hands were blistered but if it meant keeping her mother behind in her plans Regina didn't mind much. She would do anything for her son's safety.

Now they sat in her office, days later and Regina knew why her mother was so furious: she didn't have a backup plan. She didn't think she would have needed one. That's what happens when you believe you are the most powerful person in the world; you don't believe anyone would cross you and are blind to it when it finally happens.

"The pirate must die," she finally said, still not blinking. It would have sent a shiver down Regina's spine if she weren't familiar with this behavior. She grew up around it, after all.

Regina sighed. "Mother-"

"No, Regina. I will not stand for this," she interrupted before Regina could even begin to talk sense into her.

"I was only going to say that perhaps we should focus our attention on the big picture: Rumplestiltskin."

"Right after I crush Hook's heart for tricking me," she said with a smile. She looked up right as Regina's face fell slightly. "Oh, sweetheart. I know you don't like when I do this but it's necessary. If you want to have control, you need to squash those who are trouble. And trust me, I spent time with Hook. He can be helpful but he will only cause us problems. The foolish pirate won't be missed." She cackled and Regina forced a tight smile.

"I'd like to be the one to kill Captain Hook," she said suddenly, with no plans on how she was going to explain herself.

Cora paused and furrowed her brows. "You want to kill him?"

"Yes. You always thought I wasn't tough enough to be queen. I'd like the chance to prove myself to you. Show you I've changed." Regina waited while her mother contemplated her words. She sat there and watched Cora mulling over it and wished she could see what was going through her head. Finally, a proud smile grew on her mother's face.

"Regina!" she exclaimed delightfully as she rose out of her chair and walked towards Regina with her arms open. Regina stood and hugged her mother, almost falling into the trap. If she lost focus for even a second, she would feel a mother lovingly hugging her daughter. She had to remind herself in her head that this wasn't real. That Cora didn't do anything with love.

Finally, Cora released her but she kept her hands on her shoulders and held her at a close distance while she stared admiringly at her for a few moments. Then she walked back towards the chair where her coat was.

"I think I'll return to the small building you lent me to keep my things in. I'd like a nap," she told her daughter and in an instant she was gone.

Regina collapsed into the chair behind her desk and allowed herself one moment to grasp the situation and get herself together.

Her plan was already a long shot. These new circumstances made it all the more difficult. She needed to be extra careful about her time with Hook.

Her mother had a way of seeing the things that weren't easy to see.

But she remembered had more important things to worry about now, as she glanced at the clock. She grabbed her purse and coat and hurried out the door to have her second dreaded meeting of the day.

Regina never quite understood the town's fascination with Granny's Diner. She thought it was unkempt, loud and tried to avoid it at all costs ever since her curse was broken. Even she had to admit that there was a time in her life when she used to treat herself to the diner's delicious apple pancakes, but that time was over and she resented that she was asked to come here today.

She walked in the door and looked around at all the townspeople whom were sitting in various places throughout the restaurant. A few weeks ago they had all pretended to give her a chance. That hadn't lasted long though. They quickly fell back into their routine of judging her because of her based. She held their gazes as they all stared before quickly averting their eyes. Finally, she noticed the woman she came to see.

Sitting in a booth by herself was Mary Margaret. She wore an ugly hat and looked extremely nervous. She was fidgeting with her hands until she saw Regina walking towards her and she froze.

Regina had no intentions of making small talk. "How is Henry? Is he okay?

"I didn't actually talk to him," Snow admitted.

Regina sighed with frustration at the lie and contemplated storming out before she took a seat on the other side of the table and asked Snow why she asked Regina to come.

"I know you've been lying and I thought it was time we talk about it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Regina replied lazily. She was annoyed with the lie Snow had told her to get her to meet her and she had no intents on explaining herself to this woman.

Snow quickly told her to stop lying and Regina was a bit taken aback by her bluntness, though she didn't show it on her face. "I know you've been looking for the dagger."

"What I'm doing is my business."

Snow started rambling on about war and choosing sides and being good. God, Regina hated the way they put that word on a pedestal; as if being labeled a good person meant that your contrary actions didn't even matter.

"Have you ever considered that maybe, perhaps, I _am_ good? I was always the Queen. It was you who added evil to my name," Regina reminded her.

"Good doesn't do what you do," Snow lectured. Regina wanted to conjure a fireball and throw it at her head, letting the grimy diner burn down in the aftermath.

Snow asked why she would go back down the wrong path after all the hard work she had put into changing. Regina couldn't help but laugh as she prompted Snow to remember that all that hard work had earned her was an awkward dinner with people who hated her.

"Stay out of my way," she warned, finishing her rant and rising from the booth.

"She doesn't care about Henry. All she wants is power," Snow said matter-of-factly, obviously referring to Regina's mother. "She doesn't care about you."

Regina wanted to hex her into a new realm. She wanted to tell her that she was good, that she was working against her own mother to prove it. She wanted to ask how dare she judge her and her mother's relationship that she knew nothing about. She also wanted to tell her she was right.

But instead she hid the anger and sadness like she had gotten so good at doing, and searched her brain for the meanest thing she could throw at this woman. This woman who had know that Regina's mother didn't love her and yet she still chose to call her evil and single her out and take her son from her.

"Really? And what would you know about mothers?"

And with that, Regina marched out of the diner with the confidence of a queen, even though the tears in her eyes were threatening to stream down her face at any moment.

Hook let himself into Regina's house without a second thought. He found himself whistling as he strolled down the hallways leading to Regina's office. He was in a good mood. Today had been the first time in over a week that he hadn't been burdened with searching high and low for Cora's heart. For whatever reason, Regina had told him they weren't working today. She asked him to come over later in the day but that didn't bother him. He had gotten to relax on his ship with a bottle of rum all day.

When he finally reached the room where her office was, he found her sitting at her desk looking rather dazed. She hadn't even noticed him enter the room until he spoke up.

"'Ello beautiful," he said with a grin as he plopped down in the chair on the other side of her desk.

Regina didn't even crack a smile. "Hm? Oh, yes. Hello."

He faked a grin. "What's the matter, love? The sun is shining bright outside and I brought a bottle of rum. You look like you could use a drink."

"I don't want to hear about the sunshine and I don't need a drink," she said as she put her hands in the air to stop him from continuing his joyous rant. "I need…oh I don't know what I need."

Hook sighed. "Well I was planning to drink and be merry, as pirates do, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that you are uneasy."

He watched her closely. She normally wasn't as unguarded as this. He realized quickly that he didn't like it. This woman who was normally confident and cocky seemed rather…sad. It was unsettling.

"Did you notice if anyone saw you come over here this evening?" she asked suddenly.

"I didn't really survey the area."

She sighed. "I suppose I have no other options but to just tell you: you're supposed to be dead."

"It's shocking the details that you miss when you're busy searching for someone's heart, eh?" He started to laugh but then hastily realized that there was no joke. Regina just stared at him and waited for it to sink in. "Would you mind telling me what the bloody hell you're on about?"

When Regina spoke she didn't sound like a queen or a mayor. She sounded like a scared child. "My mother was here today, that's why we didn't meet up. She was livid with you for misleading her about the dagger's whereabouts-"

"One could argue that only a fool would follow a pirate's treasure map after he-"

He was cut off by Regina's glare and he quickly snapped his mouth shut.

"As I was saying, she was furious with you and wanted to kill you," she said, looking him straight in the eye. She paused and Hook felt himself growing nervous and he cursed himself for it. Every second that passed seemed to take forever. Finally she continued, though she was still hesitant. "So I told her I would do it. I gave her my word that I would kill you."

Again, there was silence. They stared at each other, looking for answers in the other's eyes. Hook didn't know what Regina was looking for in him, but he was looking for the trust he had been beginning to feel for this woman. He was looking for the chance he took in believing her and taking her side. He was looking for the woman who wasn't the queen or the mayor.

Hook was surprised at how betrayed he felt. As a pirate, he was used to being deceived. He never fully trusted anyone. He made people think he trusted them and in turn _they_ would trust _him_, but it was all just a game; at least until last week when he decided to trust Regina.

"So that's it then?" he asked, his voice filled with fury.

She smiled so slightly it was hardly noticeable and then quickly veiled it. "I'm confused, Captain. What is "it"?"'

"The end of our journey together. You got me." He didn't like how defeated his voice sounded but he didn't have the energy to disguise how let down he was. All he could do was stare at the floor and wait for it, all while trying his hardest not to think about how he had failed his Milah. He hadn't avenged her death because he had started to trust the Evil Queen. And now he would pay the price.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, Hook, but our journey together is far from over." His head perked up and confusion grew on his face. "You won't be dying anytime soon."

He didn't know what to say. The woman had a way of always catching him off guard. He just could not figure her out.

She must have been watching his reaction closely. "You still don't trust me, do you Hook?"

"As if you trust me?"

He answered with a question because he didn't know the answer. He'd lived a long time, met many people in many worlds, and had been betrayed by more people than he had time to count. And true, he had no choice but to trust the Queen, the woman so many had feared and hated, but still, he couldn't help but wonder about her and these unique conditions.

Regina didn't answer his question, just smiled. Rather sadly, if he was being honest with himself.

"I got you something," she said suddenly, changing the subject.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm intrigued. Last thing I received from someone were a few broken ribs."

"Well this is nothing like that," she told him as she opened a drawer in her desk. She pulled out a brown box. "It's just a small present."

"To what do I owe the gratuity?"

"For helping me, I suppose. You won't get much use out of it but it will come in handy for our meetings."

Hook looked her in the eyes to try to find a sign of deceit but he came up short. He reached out and took the box from her. Using his good hand, he lifted the lid and pulled out some sort of device that he was unfamiliar with. It was black and rectangular shaped. He looked at Regina and raised an eyebrow.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?"

"Afraid not, my dear."

"Press the button on the bottom," she instructed. He did as he was told and the item lit up. He dropped the suspicious object lightly on her desk and pushed it away slightly, fearing it might explode.

"Nothing is going to happen," she assured him. "What do you think it is?"

He studied it, watching the brightness reflect on the desk. Finally, he decided an educated guess would look better than just sitting there dumbfounded.

"It appears to be some sort of lantern."

He wasn't expecting Regina to burst into laughter, confirming that his educated guess was disastrously wrong. He watched the Queen who was sitting across from him as glee induced tears rolled down her face. She was laughing so hard that her shoulders shook and though he felt quite imprudent at the moment, he couldn't help but smile at her.

"Yes, please continue mocking me. That will do our partnership wonders," he tried to say it in a reprimanding tone but he could not get the smile off of his face so it ended up just sounding like he was joking with her.

Finally, she was able to catch her breath. The happiness remained on her face though and he thought it suited her nicely. It was different seeing her like this, so carefree and light. He wondered if she was like this before the world broke her heart.

"Anyways," she began, her breathing still a little uneven. "If you press those buttons over there, numbers and letters will come up on the screen- er, the bright part."

Hook picked up the device and studied it. He pressed a few buttons and turned it over. "So it is some sort of compass then?"

She smiled as if she was going to break into another giggled fit but she bit her lip and collected herself. "It's called a cell phone. It is like a compass in some ways. It will tell you where you need to go when we need to meet up. You see, I can get in touch with you through this and all you need to do is press a button."

He was intrigued by the odd piece of machinery. He also couldn't help but wonder why Regina would bother to buy him something like this. Of course, it would be beneficial to her as well, making it much less complicated to schedule meetings. But underneath her selfish reasoning, there was definite thoughtfulness. He couldn't remember the last time someone had gone out of his or her way to give him a gift. It probably had been his Milah and that was so many years ago.

While he mulled over her good deed, she had been explaining to him how to work the phone. He tried to focus on her instructions but as she leaned across the table and pointed things out to him, all he could do was watch her, barely even hearing her speak. When she was done explaining the phone, she leaned back in her chair and he was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Of course, if that seems too complicated for you, you could always just use it as a lantern."

He knew what was coming before it even happened and he was proven right as Regina doubled over once more in laughter. This time though, he didn't even try to pretend to be annoyed. Maybe it was because she had seemed so miserable when he first arrived. Maybe it was because her happiness was so rare and so contagious. He wasn't sure, but he found himself laughing right along with her; laughing until his stomach ached.

For a moment, there was no revenge and no broken hearts; just two people enjoying themselves for the first time in awhile.

**A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! The scene with Snow is taken straight from the episode (The Queen is Dead, 2x15) so I tried my best to add a different spin to it, though the lines are direct quotations. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy the finale this week! Can't believe season 2 is already ending!**


	5. Chapter 5

Archie Hopper considered himself a just man. He may not have been as brave as Prince Charming or as clever as Rumplestiltskin, but he made up for it in the kindness of his heart. Well, that's what he aimed to do anyway. He knew a battle was brewing in Storybrooke. He could sense the dark clouds that hung overhead lately were forewarning of what was to come.

Archie knew he wouldn't be one to pick up a sword and fight Cora, the most malicious woman he had ever witnessed. Which is why he found himself walking down the docks towards Captain Hook's concealed ship. He hoped he could talk some sense into at least half of the duo that could possibly be the game changer for the war that was starting.

He entered the ship easily, knowing where he could climb aboard due to the time not long ago when he had fled this area after being held hostage. Feeling as if he had just invited himself into a stranger's home, he knocked loudly on the side of the ship to make his presence known.

"So it seems there actually are people in this godforsaken town that don't just let themselves onboard my ship," he heard from somewhere close. He looked around and finally spotted the captain, sitting on a box with another one before him that he was using as a table. Oddly enough, a cell phone sat on the box in front of him. Hook seemed to be trying to figure out how it worked. He hadn't even lifted his head to see who had just arrived.

"Dr. Archie Hopper," Archie told him as he walked towards him and offered him his hand as an introduction. Hook looked down at it and then back up at Archie, who decided to retract his hand. "I was at Regina's house a few days ago."

"I remember."

Archie stood there awkwardly watching Hook study the cell phone. "Kind of an odd thing to find on a pirate ship," he joked.

Hook didn't laugh, his focus still on the device. "Regina gave it to me. I fear she may have done so only to make me feel incompetent."

"She gave you that? What an affluent present."

"Well the "affluent present" is about to be thrown overboard," he said with frustration. He pushed the phone away and looked up at Archie for the first time since his arrival. "Why are you on my ship?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could discuss Regina."

"Mate, I don't really go about discussing things that are my business with strangers."

Archie raised his hands in a halting way. "Oh no no no. You don't have to talk to me. I can do the talking. I just had hoped you would listen."

He seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "Each time I saw you before you seemed rather... fidgety and nervous. Today, you appear confident. That's admirable. You may proceed with your concerns for the Queen."

Archie thought Hook spoke more like a king than a pirate.

"Regina has a choice to make," Archie told him, not hesitating at all. "And the last time she had a choice to make she chose wrong. I don't want that to happen again."

"Regina seems to be a capable woman. I'm sure she can handle this 'choice,'" Hook said without a hint of interest in his voice.

"She needs help and you two are working together, aren't you?"

Hooked simply stared at him, giving no signs that he would confirm or deny Archie's speculation.

"You two could do great things together, you know. Horrifying, disastrous things, or something…good."

Again, he was met with only a bored stare.

"Very well. I just hoped that you would understand that…Regina is a conflicted woman. And she may not ask for it, but she needs your help in more ways than one."

Hook stood up and walked over to Archie, putting his arm around him in a friendly manner and walking alongside him. "I already am helping her with something so I reckon there's not much more I can do in that department."

Archie sighed as he realized that Hook was leading them towards the ship exit onto the docks. He figured he didn't have much time left with the captain.

"You're aware of you and Regina's similar pasts? And similar goals, I imagine?"

Once again, Hook didn't answer. Archie felt his confidence slowly diminish as he neared the exit.

"Just remember what I said, Hook!" he rushed out right before he received a light yet forceful shove off of the ship. "Regina needs your help!"

And with that, he hit the dock with a small thud. He got to his feet easily and silently hoped that his message had gotten through to the man. He also had wished that he had saved enough of his rare burst of confidence to handle his next visit...with Regina.

Perhaps he should have done that conversation first.

Archie went straight to Regina's house. He had only ever been there a few times, most recently was when he tried to talk to her a few days ago and she so kindly kicked him off of her property. He hoped today would go better so he rang the doorbell to be polite. He knew many people just entered Regina's home without asking.

Regina came to the door quickly. When she swung it open her face fell a little, as if she had been expecting someone else.

"Oh it's you. Again. You don't really get the message the first time, do you?"

"Regina I only came to talk," he explained quickly, fearing a door slamming in his face would come any second now. "If you would just give me a few minutes of your time, I will leave you alone."

She tapped her fingers on the door that she was holding open and seemed to deliberate. Finally she opened it up wider so that Archie could enter the house. "Very well. I was in the middle of doing work though so follow me into my office."

She led them to her office, a large room with a desk, a sitting area and hardly any colors besides black and white; aside from the bowl of bright red apples. Regina took her seat behind the desk and shuffled some papers around before leaning forward and folding her hands on the desk.

"What can I help you with today, Doctor?"

Archie placed the umbrella that he always carried on the floor as he sat down in the chair opposite her. "Actually, Regina, I was hoping to help _you_. Which in turn would help me, I guess you could say.

She rolled her eyes. "This again?"

"I just wanted to tell you that you have a choice to make that-"

"I know I have a choice to make! Has anyone in this town ever toyed with the possibility that I am able to make a good decision?" She laughed but it didn't reach her eyes.

"I know you can, Regina. I've seen it before. I guess I just got a little nervous after seeing you with Hook the other day…"

"So now he gets judged from his past as well?" Archie couldn't think of anything to say and Regina looked pleased with herself before growing inquisitive. "What does it matter that Hook and I were together the other day?"

"You two could have a lot of power."

"_Power_. I hate that word."

Archie remembered her distaste for the term. They had discussed it in great lengths during their sessions in the past. He only said it now to see if it still got the same reaction from her. He was pleased that it did.

The quietness must have been making Regina uncomfortable because she continued the conversation quickly. "He's helping me."

Archie thought about her words. "Have you ever thought that maybe he's the one who needs helping?"

"Yes, I know perfectly well what he needs help with."

"I'm sure he has some bad blood with who knows who that he'd like assistance with, but I actually meant helping in a different way. A good way."

Regina's eyebrows crinkled. "How?"

"Hook suffered a fate similar to you. He has a broken heart and a thirst for revenge. You know better than most that revenge can rip the things we care about right out of our lives."

"Hook doesn't care about anything," she said.

He shrugged. "I'm sure people thought that about you in the past."

She seemed to realize that she had leaned closer to him over the course of their conversation, evidently becoming more interested in what he was saying, and she sat back in her chair. Minutes passed in stillness, but Regina didn't seem to notice or care. She was deep in thought. He almost didn't hear her when she eventually spoke.

"How could I help someone? I can't even…_ I_ need help," she admitted so softly that it was barely audible.

"I thought you said he was helping you?" Archie asked, adding a smile before gathering his umbrella and standing. "You know where my office is if you ever want to talk."

She nodded once and he turned to leave.

"Archie?"

"Yes, Regina?" he asked, turning around and seeing that she was now standing behind her desk. She looked different than before though. She seemed scared.

"We are doing something good," she told him.

He smiled at her proudly. "I know you are."

Regina watched Dr. Hopper leave and wondered why he had to come clutter her head today. She already had a trying morning and now she had even more on her plate.

Her mother had woken her as soon as the sun was up and practically forced her out the door. They had gotten to Mr. Gold's shop quickly and Cora then instructed Regina to help her search the shop from top to bottom. Regina immediately did as she was told, only realizing a few minutes later that she was working alone. Cora had sat down behind the counter. It took Regina's search hours to meet her mother's standards.

Then as soon as she had gotten rid of her mother and finally managed to sit down and do some work for the town, the doorbell rang.

She wondered what had brought on his visit. She decided she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about anything. She watched Archie open the gate and leave her property, noticing that the umbrella he always carried with him was now in full use as rain began pouring from the sky. Storm clouds had rolled in and the town seemed to have a shadow over it, except when lightening lit everything up.

She waited until Archie was out of sight before picking up the phone and dialing the first number that popped into her head.

It rang for a very long time, so long that she almost just hung up, but at the last second she heard someone answer, though they didn't say hello. It sounded as if they had dropped the phone on the ground and then perhaps stepped on it.

"Aye?" she finally heard.

"Hello, Hook. Having some trouble with the cell phone?"

"This blasted thing is going to send me to an early grave, Regina."

She giggled, even though she was exhausted and even a little sad.

"What are you doing?"

He paused and she could sense his skepticism through the phone. "Why?"

She felt foolish. She wanted to hang up but Hook would probably think his phone was broken and toss it into the ocean.

"I just…I was…"

"Scare of the storm?" he teased.

"No, of course not."

She didn't go on and he didn't push her too. Finally when the reticence was too much, she rushed out an explanation. "I was with my mother all day and then the stupid cricket came over and I was hoping to get out of this house but it was a dumb idea and I'll see you tomorrow or something."

She was about to put the phone down when she heard _laughter_ coming from the other end of the phone.

"Damn it Hook, I shouldn't have even called."

"I'm sorry, love," he said catching his breath. "Would you like to come over?"

"Of course I wouldn't. Goodbye, Hook."

Regina slammed the phone down and sat in her chair, wondering what she was going to do to keep herself from her own thoughts; thoughts of her mother and power and needing to help Hook.

It took her about thirty seconds before she grabbed her coat and umbrella and headed off in the direction of his ship.

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! I got a lot of it done after the finale on Sunday. Can't wait for season 3! Anyways, next chapter should be up soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

Hook knew she was there before he even saw her. Even through the sound of the pouring rain and thunder, her heels clicking had his attention. He was below deck in the galley, seated next to a window so that he could see the storm. He missed sailing; not only under the warm sun, but also when the seas were rough like today.

He knew Regina would find him quickly. She had begun knowing her way around the ship quite well.

Sure enough, Regina appeared in the doorway almost immediately. She shook out the umbrella she had been using to guard her from the rain. Cora used to use one similar to it, often just to shield the sunlight. It was the only similarity he saw between the two women.

Regina once again looked sad. It was the first thing he noticed as she stood there shaking the water droplets from her black coat. He knew her tone on the phone seemed off, but seeing her now it was quite evident in her eyes. He felt his own mood deplete, though he wasn't sure why.

"Welcome aboard!" he said cheerfully, gesturing that she take a seat at the table he was at.

She muttered a thank you as she walked over and sat down. Her usual scent of apples followed her and he breathed it in deeply. He waited for her to explain what was going on but she didn't.

"So are you going to tell me what this is all about, love, or are we going to just sit here?"

She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a loud clap of thunder. She jumped a little.

"So I was right then. You are scared of the storm."

"I'm not. Henry used to be. When he was younger he didn't like to be alone during storms… Now that he's gone, I guess I don't either," she laughed once sadly.

He inwardly cursed himself for being affected once again by her sadness. The usual mask she wore to cover her emotions was gone. He wanted to take whatever parts of her day had broken her down like this and erase them and he wasn't even sure why.

"He'll be back once we've finished our job."

"Will he?" she asked but didn't wait for an answer. "He asked me to change for him before and look where it's gotten me."

He felt uncomfortable with the seriousness of their discussion. He didn't know what to expect when he invited her over but this certainly wasn't it.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I don't think it says anywhere in my contract that I have to listen to your problems so-"

"_Captain_, with all due respect, you didn't even sign a contract so one could argue that you didn't _not_ agree to listen to my problems, either."

"Play around with words all you'd like but I have other things I'd like to be doing and I'm sure there is someone else you could have called."

She laughed. "You really think if there was someone else I could have called, I still would have chosen you? And besides, what else do you have to be doing? I noticed you were sitting here alone when I arrived."

There was a silence in the room as they both looked at each other, the truth of how alone they both were hung in the air.

Maybe it was because he knew she wouldn't judge him. Maybe it was because she was the only person in the world he could talk to. Maybe it was because she was sad. For whatever reason, he sighed and spoke up.

"It's a trick question, you know."

"What is?"

"When someone asks you to change for them. It's a trick. You can't win. You can't change yourself."

"I can try. I've been trying and-"

"And you've been failing, have you not?"

"And what would you know about it, pirate?" she snapped angrily.

"You're not the only one who has tried," he snapped right back at her.

Regina looked like she was going to argue with him but then she stopped. Her eyes seemed curious, which was confirmed when she leaned forward a little. "Whom did you try to be different for?" she asked, her tone altered into something that was not mad anymore. He felt himself calm down too.

"A young lad. He didn't want to stay with a malicious pirate like me so I said I was willing to change for him. As you can see, it didn't work."

Hook had never spoken of that incident. He wasn't sure if anyone on his crew had overheard and if they did, they never dared to bring it up. Images of Baelfire appeared in his mind; he was angry, scared and alone. Still though, he chose to leave. He chose to reject Hook's offer of protection. Milah's own son hated him.

He was brought out of his memory when Regina spoke.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't change. We can just go back to whoever we were. Maybe you could go back to just being a pirate."

Hook didn't know what to say to her words; words that he had wanted to hear for a very long time. If he was being honest with himself, he thought about going back all the time. It was never his intention to be so obsessed with revenge. He wanted to be the man Milah loved, a man that she and her son would respect. But how could he just move on from her murder while the man responsible roamed free? He wished he could talk to her.

He looked at the woman before him. Regina was having the same internal struggle as he was. He knew she was troubled. Her eyes said it all.

"Maybe you could go back to just being the Queen. You never seemed all that evil to me anyhow." He added a wink so that he didn't seem too serious.

Regina smiled and he was pleased that it stuck around.

Regina had wanted someone to tell her that for so long. She had waited years, decades, for someone to see beyond her Evil title. She wondered why, of all people, a pirate with a past was the one to understand.

Though her mood was better and the smile on her face was genuine, she suddenly wanted a topic change. She glanced around quickly, trying to find something to help her rebuild the wall she had carefully constructed. It had been momentarily cracked during the course of their conversation and she was uncomfortable. She strummed her fingers on the table while Hook watched.

"The storm doesn't bother you, I take it?" she asked, gesturing towards how close he was sitting to the window.

He shook his head. "Not at all. Sailing under the sun is paradise. Sailing through a storm is adventure."

"Poetic," she joked.

Hook smiled, evidently pleased with the new subject of conversation. "A ship in a storm doesn't appear to bother you either. Most landlubbers would be sea sick."

"I like sailing; the smell of the Earth and the wind in my hair reminds me of when I used to ride horses."

An image flashed in her head of riding her beloved horse. Daniel was by her side. She closed her eyes and smiled, savoring the brief moment of peacefulness, which was interrupted quickly with a scoff from across the table.

"I've never met a queen that could sail."

She gave him a mock surprised look before looking out the window and noticing the rain had let up. She made a quick decision to stand up and go above deck. She could hear him following close behind.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked happily.

Regina ignored him. Instead she walked over to the rope that was tethering the ship in place and began untying it.

"Regina, what are you doing?"

She continued ignoring him, even though she was a guest on his ship and he sounded mad.

"Don't touch that."

Again, she ignored him, merely continuing to free the ship from the docks while he rambled on behind her. Finally she stood behind the helm and turned it slightly in a few directions before they were out on open water. She turned to look at him and found him a few feet away, fuming. She smiled innocently at him.

"You commandeered my ship," he said through gritted teeth. Regina knew if she were a man Hook would have drawn his sword. She could see his fist was clenched, shaking slightly as he willed himself to not lay a hand on her.

"You doubted that I was capable of sailing!" she answered playfully.

"Damn it, Regina. I didn't mean for you to come up here and-"

"Oh, relax," she sighed as she let go of the helm and Hook scrambled to grab it before the ship veered out of control. She stood beside him, leaning her back against the rail. "You said you liked to sail in a storm, right? Well here you go. We have a few hours of freedom and you and your ship have been parked in Storybrooke for weeks."

"You should have asked."

"Queens don't need permission."

"Pirates don't take well to thieves."

"Are you truly angry with me?"

"No."

She smiled and turned around so that she could see the water they were gliding on. It was dark, reflecting the black clouds above that still lingered from the storm. The waves were rough and the winds were high. Captain Hook was in total control, though. He was in his element, looking like every bit of the esteemed captain she had heard of for so long. He was smiling, which in turn made her smile, before she looked away and something caught her eye.

On the wood near the helm, there were some writings etched into the ship. They seemed to be directions of some sort.

"What's that?"

He didn't even have to look down to see what Regina had spotted. "I taught the boy how to steer my ship before he left."

Regina felt something at his words, though she wasn't sure what. She had never thought of Hook as caring for another person, besides in a romantic way, especially a child, until earlier when he had told her about the boy. Now she knew he had actually been kind to him, taught him things and spent time with him. She thought of Henry. When she felt tears come to her eyes, she cleared her throat and looked away from the carvings.

Minutes passed in silence, nothing but the sounds of the sea and birds overhead. Regina almost felt relaxed for the first time in months. Almost. As long as her mother was on the loose and her son was out of her protection, she couldn't fully relax.

"Thank you, Regina."

She almost didn't hear it, and even though she did, she wasn't sure if he had really said it or if it was just the wind playing tricks on her. She couldn't remember the last time someone had thanked her sincerely. She wasn't used to it.

"Don't thank me. We can't stay out much longer and tomorrow we'll be right back inside, continuing our boring search and hopefully-"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Eventually Hook turned the ship towards the town and brought them back to the docks. Regina gathered up her umbrella from below deck as he secured the Jolly Roger to land.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," Regina said awkwardly as she hesitated by the entrance to the ship. She fiddled with the umbrella in her hands that she no longer needed.

"One more thing before you go, Your Majesty."

Regina paused, always pleased when he used that respectful title.

"On the phone-thing you gave me you said the cricket stopped by your house today. What did he say to you?"

She didn't know why that was the thing he wanted to ask her before she left, but she was tired and didn't feel like questioning him. "He said we needed to help each other."

They looked at each other and after a while, Hook nodded. He seemed to be contemplating something, and finally he spoke. "Perhaps we should humor the poor fellow and get drinks together tomorrow night. For business purposes, of course."

After finally deciding he was being serious, and for reasons she may never understand, she said, "Okay. For business. 10 o'clock at the diner."

**A/N: Thanks for all the feedback from the last chapter! Hope you guys liked this one. The next one should be up shortly.**


	7. Chapter 7

Hook wasn't sure why he had asked Regina for drinks. He hadn't given it much thought and before he knew it the words were leaving his mouth on their own accord. He just knew that in the moment it was what he wanted.

He waited until it was exactly ten. The town was still too busy before then but he guessed 10 o'clock was the time when all the shops closed down because the streets became deserted and it was safe for him to leave his ship. He realized he had been right when he started his walk to the diner; the town looked like a calm sea. Not a single wave of activity or sound of the life that lived there.

He knew what diner she had meant; it was the only one in town. He assumed she had picked that instead of a bar to avoid seeing anyone, given the circumstances that he was supposed to be dead.

He slowly walked up to the diner; the sign called it Granny's. It was dark inside and the door was locked so he leaned against the wall until he heard the familiar sounds of her heels clicking against the pavement.

She had come from the other direction. She walked towards him and didn't appear surprised that the diner was closed and locked up.

"Hook," she greeted him with a nod in his direction.

"Regina."

She turned to the door and with a swish of her hand it unlocked and opened. She walked in and held it open for him. Once he was in she turned back and locked it once more.

Inside it wasn't as dark as it had appeared when he looked through the window, which was good because they couldn't turn the lights on or else someone in town might have noticed. There were lights on some of the instruments in the kitchen that lit the room dimly, enough for them to see. Along with the moonlight shining through the window, it was the perfect lighting for some drinks.

Regina went right to work behind the counter as he took a seat on a stool and leaned his elbows on the counter.

"I assume you'd like some rum?" she asked, grabbing a bottle from a cabinet and getting out a glass.

"You know me all too well, my dear."

She handed him a glass and then went to work on whatever drink she was having.

"I know we said this was for business," she said as she got out several ingredients for her drink, "But I'd actually prefer not to talk about our work."

"What would you like to talk about?" he asked, taking a large swig of his rum.

She paused in thought, turning her head to the side before turning to face him quickly. "Tell me about Milah."

He hadn't heard someone say her name in so long. It nearly knocked the wind out of him; hitting him like a force.

She turned back to the drink she was fixing up. "If you're anything like how I am with Daniel, you've been wanting to talk about her for a very long time."

Hook was surprised at her honesty. It was refreshing. He took another sip of his drink and then studied the glass in his hand. "Milah was…a breath of fresh air. As a pirate, I met a lot of people in various run down taverns. But she walked into that one and I knew I was done for. She was adventurous and brave and kind but…she was trapped." Her face popped into his head, the sun shining down on her as she laughed with the crew on his ship. "I can still hear her laugh; I can still see her eyes, so blue they were gray."

He hadn't noticed that she had turned around to face him once more. He had been in a sort of daze as he remembered. When he came back to reality, he cleared his throat and looked at Regina, who had been listening so intently she hadn't seemed to notice anything else either until he had cleared his throat.

"Did you know that I got to talk to Daniel one more time after he was murdered?"

Hook shook his head.

"He came back to life. It was brief and not like it was before, but it was him," she smiled, her eyes staring blankly at the table. "He told me I needed to let him go."

Hook looked up at her to find that she was looking at him as well.

"He told me I could love again."

He wondered what Milah would say to him if he had the chance to talk to her again. Would she be disappointed at the man he had become? Would she be happy that he had devoted his life to avenging her death? How would she feel about all the time he had been spending with Regina as of late?

If he knew Milah as well as he used to, he decided she would have said the same thing to him that Daniel had said to Regina.

"It's funny, isn't it? I've worked so hard for most of my life to get back at the woman who took Daniel from me; worked to the point of being miserable, and all he ever wanted was for me to be happy."

She took a sip of her drink, which he had concluded was some sort of apple-flavored vodka, due to the aroma that filled the room.

"Are you still miserable?"

"I was for awhile… when Henry left. And I kept trying and failing to change," she told him, pausing to take another mouthful of her drink. "Now I've got someone on my team though."

Hook laughed once at the thought of himself being the person that was helping someone to not be miserable. "If I'm the only one on your team, I think we both might be in trouble."

She laughed hard at that, which got him laughing again, whether it was the contagiousness of her merriment or the alcohol, he wasn't sure.

"Why have we waited so long to get drinks together?" she asked finally when she caught her breath.

"We've gotten drinks together before," he reminded her. Flashbacks of their night together in her bedchamber came to his mind and the look on her face told him that they came to her mind as well. "Of course, that ended with you sending me off to Wonderland."

"And you lying to me about killing my mother," she pointed out.

"I was only looking out for myself. It's kind of the pirate code."

She squinted her eyes, looking at him intently as she searched for answers. She put her now empty drink on the counter and leaned down so that she was level with him. "You really thought I would have tricked you into killing my mother and then wiped your memory?"

He leaned closer to her. "I _know_ you would have."

"I would not have!"

He smiled at her weak argument. "With all due respect, Regina, you used to be rather..."

"Evil?"

"I was going to say broken."

She didn't react, but he could tell the word had affected her. He had meant it too. He had never seen the woman as evil, though he knew a lot of people had. Hook knew better than most that everyone has a reason for the way that they are.

"Used to be," she repeated. "You think I'm different."

He didn't want to use that word, mainly for his own selfish reasons. He chose to believe that he hadn't changed at all since Milah's death. He was the same man she had loved. He knew Regina wanted to hear that she had changed, though, gone from bad to good. For some reason he found it very sad that she thought of herself as being so black and white.

He finished his drink before looking around for some inspiration. It was when his hook caught the reflection of the moon that an idea came to mind.

"You're not different. You're like… the moon. It has two sides to it; the side that we see and the side that is hidden; light and dark," he explained.

A smile was on Regina's face and he had the feeling again, like the one when she was sad. When she was sad, he needed her not to be and when she was happy, he needed to make her even happier. It was like her emotions reflected back at him to determine his own mood.

Regina watched him, wondering why he would work so hard to not just agree that she was the same person she had always been: Evil. It would have ended the conversation right then, but she would have been upset and he seemed to like to work against that; and not just tonight, either. He had made her laugh after the day when Snow had upset her and yesterday he had invited her over to cheer her up after Archie put all of those thoughts in her head. She knew he had been through a lot of strife in his lifetime and he was quite dejected, yet every time she was with the man he managed to make _her_ happy.

"You do that a lot, you know," she told him when he had finished talking about the moon and lightness and darkness.

"What is it I do?"

"You make me feel… better. Why do you do that? You say these things that I need to hear and you don't even…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. "Why does it matter to you how I feel?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was merely because you're much more pleasurable to be around when you're in a good mood?"

She shook her head.

"Very well," he sighed and poured himself a smaller drink than before and then downed it in one sip. "I like when you are cheerful, because for some unknowable reason, it makes me cheerful as well, alright?"

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what I mean. I just… when I see that you're saddened, I get saddened. When you're angry, I am angry. It's been an occurrence ever since we begun working together. If I could explain it or understand it, I would put an end to it."

She leaned even closer to him so that she could understand exactly what he was saying, or maybe it was because she had just consumed a strong martini in a matter of minutes; at least, that's what she told herself the reasons were.

He was still going off about how perhaps they had a connection of some sort, but as she leaned down at his level, suddenly all she could think about were his eyes.

They were brown and big, much like hers and when they looked into hers, she felt like he was seeing much more than just… _her. _It was like he was seeing everything she worked hard to keep hidden. They held something much deeper than beauty. She couldn't put her finger on it. Truth? Adventure? Hope?

"Are you even listening, love? I'm telling you about a strange thing that is happening with my emotions; perhaps I'm under a strange spell or something. It could be rather serious and… Has something caught your eye?"

He noticed she was staring but she didn't care. They were so close to each other now, her leaning down on the counter and him leaning out of his seat towards her, it was hard to look anywhere else. She swore he looked down at her lips first.

And that was it. All the quick smiles and inconsequential flirting came to a culmination as their lips touched, tongues searching the other's mouth while a familiar hook latched onto her top and pulled her closer than she was before, though she hadn't thought it was possible. Regina longed for closeness too, as she brought her hands to his face, grasping at him to remain as near as the counter between them would allow.

He tasted the way he had all those years ago in her castle. It was as if life had been paused between then and now. They had been this eager before as well, like everything they had done up until this moment had been merely to pass the time; to give them something to do until they could finally touch.

The troublesome need for oxygen was the only thing that pulled them apart. The diner seemed darker somehow and the only sounds now were their frenzied breathing.

"I was wondering when you wouldn't be able to resist any longer," Hook finally said through his breaths, a devilish smile on his face.

Regina smiled back. "Like you hadn't been waiting for that to happen again since the last time it did." Hook didn't deny it, just chuckled.

She leaned up off of the counter and stood upright, looking at him once more to see that he was still watching her. Suddenly all jokes were ceased as they looked at each other, each trying to figure out what their kiss had truly meant.

It became an unspoken agreement that nothing had to be figured out tonight and that they were leaving. Regina grabbed both of their empty glasses and put them in the sink while Hook got up and started returning the alcohol bottles to their rightful place in the cabinets.

They gathered their belongings up and headed out together. Once on the street, Regina turned back towards the door and locked it with a wave of her hand. As she turned back to face Hook, she was caught off by another kiss, this one much different than the one before. It was gentle and slow, like they had all the time in the world to just stand here together. Regina returned it, wrapping her arms around him as he gently led them up against a wall.

For a few moments, they were just two innocent people sharing a moment; oblivious to the demons from their past that they would soon have to deal with; oblivious to the pain and sadness that would surely make its way into their lives in the morning; oblivious to the eyes of Cora Mills, who stood on a rooftop nearby watching their every move.

**A/N: Hello! So my cable and internet were out all weekend so I got this done pretty quickly. Hope you like it! Next one should be up shortly.**


	8. Chapter 8

Hook sat in the captain's quarters at his desk in absolute silence. He had been sitting there ever since he walked back from the diner the night before. His mind was blurry, though he didn't think it was the rum's fault.

He had kissed Regina. If he was honest with himself, he had wanted it to happen for quite some time, but now that it did, he couldn't help but think it was a mistake.

He used to see Milah all the time. Right after she died, he couldn't look at the clouds or the sand without imagining her beautiful face. Then he decided to devote his life to seeking revenge and her face appeared less often, but it was still there. When he heard someone laugh or he saw a woman with long, dark hair. But now, he didn't see her at all. If he focused, her face came to mind, but he hadn't focused on it in a long time, he was now realizing. It had to have been weeks.

But Regina, she had been in his mind almost constantly. He wondered whether she was happy, what she was doing, if she was alone. He saw her short hair and red lips with the little scar over the top one. Even now, just sitting at his desk for hours, he had to actively stop himself from thinking about her.

And he hated himself for it.

He wanted to think of Milah. He loved her.

But still. Regina was on his mind and he wanted to talk to her. He had the phone that she gave him in his hand. He toyed with it in deliberation and he wanted so badly to call, but he chose not to. Instead he picked up the nearest bottle of rum on the desk and hurled it at the wall on the opposite side of the room. Liquid spilled down the wall as glass soared in every direction.

He didn't want this to go any further. He had to cut himself off. He needed to focus on killing his crocodile.

Cora Mills let herself into her daughter's house at the exact time she had told Regina she would be there. Her original plan had been to arrive early and kill her daughter for betraying her, but after a long time of reviewing her options, she decided to talk to her first and perhaps pay a visit to the pirate. Then she would kill them both.

No one disobeyed her, no one. Regina had once when she was a young child. Cora had sent her to bed and shortly after she went up to check on her and found her quietly playing with her toys on the ground. Cora had been so furious that she destroyed all of the toys in the room. Regina had never disobeyed her again,

She found Regina sitting behind her desk, like she often was. She didn't look like the unsure daughter she had raised or the confident queen she had become. She was somewhere in between, as she stared out the window, a look on her face that her mother couldn't identify. Cora cleared her throat to make her presence known.

"Oh, Mother! I didn't hear you come in," Regina exclaimed, putting a hand on her heart. "You caught me off guard."

"What kind of queen is able to be caught off guard so easily?"

Regina didn't answer.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Regina. You never know who is lurking around."

Regina seemed to be trying to figure out why her mother had given her the warning, but she eventually just quickly shook her head and agreed. "Yes, yes of course."

"Regina, tell me once more how you killed that loathsome pirate."

Her daughter was smart, quick, calculated. She was a practiced liar, just like her mother. It would've impressed Cora if she hadn't been so livid.

"Like I said before, I found him on his ship working on a new pathetic plan to kill Rumplestiltskin." She paused to roll her eyes. "I asked him about the dagger and he continued lying, actually thinking that I would believe that he had no idea the map didn't lead to it. I then took his heart out. He was in so much pain," she laughed. "I made him suffer for a few minutes before I decided I was done with him and crushed it in front of his own eyes. He looked pitiful."

Cora smiled at the story, not because she was proud of her daughter or impressed with the kill, like Regina believed were the reasons, but because her daughter was so foolish.

Cora made Regina what she was; she _created_ her. She not only gave her life, but also worked hard to make that life better than the one Regina thought she wanted. She killed that stupid stable boy- Cora couldn't even remember his name- and made Regina a queen. And how was she repaid? Regina sent her off to Wonderland, sent a pirate to kill her, and then went behind her back once more to be with that very same pirate.

"Hook won't be missed. He had no value and no one who cared about him," Cora said.

"I agree."

Cora was getting sidetracked. She had come for a very specific reason and that was to eventually cause her daughter more pain. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

Regina's eyes widened and a smile grew on her face that Cora concluded was actually rather genuine. "For what, Mother?"

"You've become so much stronger than you used to be. You have a backbone now. You're disciplined. Brutal. You've become the queen that I always knew you could be. I guess you followed in my footsteps after all."

Regina smiled again, but it was much more forced this time. "Thank you."

"I know you haven't always been happy with the choices that I made for you, and I think we both know what I'm talking about, but if I hadn't gotten rid of that boy in the stables all those years ago, you wouldn't have ever gotten the power that you have now. You love your power, don't you?" she asked. Regina gave a stiff nod. "Of course you do. Regardless, I am sorry that I did that, I suppose. You should have been free to make that decision on your own." The apology tasted bitter on her mouth, but she knew it was a necessary thing to say to truly get into her daughter's head.

She wasn't sure what was going on in Regina's head; she had gotten so well at masking herself; but she knew that she looked conflicted, and maybe even rather sad. "I forgive you," she finally said quietly.

"This only makes me want to help you get your son back even more." The mention of Henry got Regina's full attention. "I will not let anyone take him from you ever again. I will not let anyone stand in the way of you two being a family again."

Cora saw tears in her daughter's eyes. "That's all I want."

"You know you wouldn't be able to get him back without my help, don't you?"

"Yes."

"And you know that I love you so much? And all I've ever wanted was your happiness?"

More tears threatened to spill over onto her daughter's face. "Yes, I know Mother. Why are you telling me this?"

Cora gave Regina her warmest smile. "Because you are my daughter and you are the only thing that matters to me."

Regina was quiet and Cora decided that she had gotten her message across and it was time to leave her daughter to her thoughts.

"Well, that's all I came to say. I have a new plan for finding the dagger but we can worry about that tomorrow, dear. You look like you could use some rest."

Regina watched as her mother closed the door behind her, forcing the tears away until she heard the footsteps growing farther from the room. As soon as it was silent and she was sure she was alone in the house, she cried harder than she had in a while.

She wasn't sure what exactly had been the trigger. As of late she had gotten rather good at controlling her emotions, ignoring them until they went away. It was better to remain as numb as possible when one was dealing with the things she was dealing with.

She suddenly wished Hook would come barging into her office like he had done so often these past few weeks. He would see her crying and would make some remark that would make her laugh.

She thought back to what he had said to her the night before. Something about them having a connection. She wondered what he had meant by that. She wanted so badly to go see him and ask him. Maybe spend the day on his ship and sail around again. She didn't know when she had gotten so accustomed to being around him and further more actually _wanting_ him around, but it had happened and she couldn't do anything about it now.

Regina wished the circumstances that brought them together had been different.

She also wished her mother hadn't stopped by today. Why had she been so nice? Regina told herself it had all been a lie... but she still couldn't help but wonder.

She knew her mother wanted to help her get her son back. She also knew that she always wanted Regina to not be so weak. Killing Hook certainly would've proved that she wasn't anymore.

Regina's lie was foolproof. She had memorized it perfectly, repeating it to herself in front of the mirror at least a hundred times. She knew how difficult it was to lie to Cora. The woman was able to read people like an open book. On top of that, the fear of being caught and having her kill you was enough to make anyone falter.

But she hadn't faltered and her mother hadn't caught her. Cora had merely stopped by to tell her daughter that she loved her. And how was Regina repaying her? She was going to kill her.

Suddenly in a burst of outrage, Regina picked up the phone on her desk and threw it as hard as she could across the room, smashing a picture frame and knocking over a vase. Then she pulled out a drawer of her desk and threw that too. More glass shattered but she didn't care. She hardly even noticed through all of the tears. She pushed all the papers off of her desk and then pushed the whole thing altogether. It jerked back a few feet but didn't tip over, which for some reason only angered her more. She stood up and kicked the chair that she had been sitting on. Then, once there was nothing left around her, she let out a shrill, piercing scream. She screamed for her mother, the woman she feared and hated and loved. She screamed for Henry and trying to be better and how _exhausted_ she was. She screamed for Hook because he didn't come to make her feel better today. She screamed because how could she be a better person if the only reason she still had Hook in her life was because she promised to help him kill Rumplestiltskin? She screamed because of Archie and Daniel and the Charming's and finally, when there was no more screaming left inside of her and her lungs were hoarse, she choked out a sob and fell to her knees.

She almost didn't hear anything. It was such a faint noise and her breath was so loud that it truly almost cancelled out the sound. It was a soft thump that had happened right as she hit the ground. She looked down, trying to find where it had come from before finally seeing that one of the floorboards that had been hidden under her desk was different from the others. It was the same color, and set perfectly in line with the rest of them, but still, something was different.

With shaking hands and frantic fingers, she investigated the piece of the floor before finally realizing that this particular area appeared to be hollow. She lifted the board slowly and for some reason, she already knew exactly what she would find underneath it.

Sure enough, she found a box; a simple brown box. It was designed with an odd pattern that made it appear more elegant, but it was still so simple looking that she almost laughed.

With tear stained cheeks and her breathing still jagged, she closed her eyes to collect herself as best as she could before she slowly opened the lid.

And there, shining bright and red, hidden right under Regina's nose this whole time, was Cora's heart.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! While I was writing this chapter I actually got an idea for another multi-chaptered fic so I've been trying to plan that one out and hopefully I'll get started on that once this story finishes up. If anyone was wondering I think there will be about 3-4 more chapters and then an epilogue. Thanks again for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Hook didn't call. The entire day had past and they hadn't talked once. It was the first time since they started working together that they hadn't had any form of contact at all. It felt strange. That didn't bother her though. What bothered her was how different she felt now, like he had power over her. Like she wasn't a queen, a woman who couldn't care less about a pirate.

Regina wasn't one to dwell on shallow things like that, however. She had more important things at stake.

After her little outburst and the finding of the object they'd been searching for for weeks, Regina had sat on the floor of her office for hours. The tears eventually stopped, her breathing slowed, but she didn't move. She wasn't sure how long it had been, eventually the sun went down and the room grew dark. After awhile she fell asleep on the floor.

Today she woke up feeling somewhat better, relieved that she was able to get her frustrations out last night but that was the extent of her relief. It was like yelling out in pain from an injury; it doesn't actually fix anything but it can temporarily take the mind off of the discomfort.

Her night of rest didn't help the fact that she found her mother's heart at precisely the moment she started to doubt whether or not she should be looking for it in the first place. It also didn't help that the finding of said object didn't bring her the confidence that she would soon have her son back, as she had been expecting it to all along.

Regina allowed herself one more moment of self-pity, as she sat on her office floor, before finally taking a deep breath and standing up. She changed her clothes, fixed her hair, and evaluated herself in the mirror to ensure that there were no signs of her frenzy on her face. She didn't like when she let her emotions get the best of her and she would be damned if anyone else in the world saw her like that.

Raising her chin up high and grabbing her usual black purse, she marched out of her house, flicking the door shut behind her. It was rainy again but she didn't feel like driving. She pulled her umbrella out of her purse and continued walking.

Regina knew the walk to Captain Hook's ship like the back of her hand. She knew how long it took, she knew which route to take to avoid seeing the most people, and she knew where to find the entrance to the ship even though it was invisible. Once onboard, she also knew where the Captain was most likely to be. Some days he chose to sit in the galley of the ship but today, he would be in his room, the Captain's Quarters. Regina didn't know why she assumed that but she was proven right when she opened the door and found him at his desk. He looked annoyed when she barged in without knocking but inviting herself in showed assurance and though she wasn't feeling very assured, the least she could do was fake it.

"Captain," she noted as she entered the room and took a seat across from him.

"Regina."

She detected the smell of alcohol immediately, though she couldn't tell if the pirate himself was drunk. Looking around the room, she saw broken glass near the adjacent wall that appeared to have once been a bottle of rum, judging from the spilt liquor that surrounded it. She looked back at Hook and he was staring at her, almost daring her to ask about the spill. She didn't.

"I'm sorry I didn't get in touch with you yesterday-"

"I hadn't noticed."

She clenched her teeth at his attitude before continuing. "Anyways, like I was saying, yesterday-"

"Why are you here?" he cut in once more, this time a patronizing laugh accompanied his comment. "Was it just to chat? Catch me up on what I missed yesterday? I'm starting to get bloody maddened with all the interruptions I receive while aboard my own ship."

"And what exactly was I interrupting, Hook? You drinking yourself into oblivion?"

"As opposed to what, sitting at home crying or whatever the hell it is you've been preoccupied with?"

"You bastard." Regina stood up. She was angry now. Partially because he had seen through her mask and noticed that she had been crying and partially because of the manner he was speaking to her. "How dare-"

She was prepared to scream at him until something stopped her.

For the first time since coming into the room, Regina looked at Hook, _really_ looked at him. His eyes were red and watery, bags under them both. His hair was messed, as if he had spent the night stressfully running his fingers through it. His left hand was clutching a bottle. "What is the matter with you?" The disgust was evident in her tone.

He took a large swig of the bottle, emptying its contents before struggling while getting to his feet. "You. You are the matter with me. Go home."

She didn't know what to say but didn't have much time to think about it as he threw the empty bottle and it smashed on the ground near the other one. He then picked up another bottle off of his desk but Regina decided to take action and waved her hand before he could get the bottle to his lips. It disappeared in thin air.

"Either I'm drunker than I thought or you just used the very magic that you swore off of."

She ignored him and walked closer to him so that she could gently guide him back into the chair. If it was possible to care about someone and hate them at the same time, Regina was currently doing it.

"Sit down before you hurt yourself." He shrugged off her hands, nearly falling over as he did so.

Oh, he made her angry. She threw her hands up and walked away from him so that she was now on the opposite side of the room and thus farther away from the temptation of using her magic against him. She wanted to hex him into the deepest part of the ocean; him and his stupid ship; but she couldn't because of Henry. Instead, she chose to use her words to get to him. "Yesterday I made a decision. I'm not going to help you kill Rumplestiltskin."

As soon as the words left her mouth, his face became twisted with anger. He didn't even look like the man she knew anymore. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she had never seen him so furious, so unhinged.

"Where the hell do you get off backing out of our deal after this long?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Regina smiled, even though there was not one thing in the room to be happy about. She was comfortable like this, though. She felt like her old self.

"Well why should I help you? I'm trying to be better for my son. Being an accomplice to murder isn't a great start, wouldn't you agree?"

He ignored her question. "And how do you expect to find your mother's heart without my help? Because I'm certainly not going to-"

"Don't fret over that, Hook. I already found the heart." She forced a boastful smile.

Hook was surprised if only for a second. She caught his expression before he fixed it into a glare once more. "And you're just now deciding all of this? After weeks of being in agreement with me?" She simply nodded. "What's changed?"

"Oh, I don't know Captain," she started, walking around the room a little; looking at the things he kept out in the open. "Why don't you tell me? What's changed? Why am I the matter with you?"

He was still glaring, still almost shaking with anger, but he managed an answer regardless. "You've been distracting me; toying with my mind; making me forget about the reason why I'm even here."

"I haven't _made_ you do anything."

He rolled his eyes and dropped back into the chair he had been seated in before. He rubbed his eyes with his good hand; perhaps finally starting to sober up a bit.

She didn't want to ask. She wanted to just leave, or maybe even go back in time to a few days ago. But she had to know. It had to be addressed. She walked over to the other side of his desk and leaned her hands on it so that she could look at him closely. "Is this about our kiss?"

"That kiss was a mistake," he said without missing a beat. "This entire thing has been a mistake, Regina. We shouldn't have tried to join sides. I'm a pirate and you're The Evil Queen. This was ill-fated from the start."

Even in his inebriated state, he knew he shouldn't have called her evil. It was a sore subject. But she had made him angry, what with her kisses and apologizing for not getting in touch with him yesterday and backing out of their deal. He was so angry with her. He looked up and was surprised to see her eyes that had seemed so smug a few moments ago were now filled with tears over his words. He pretended he was still angry.

"You're right, this was a mistake. I'm just The Evil Queen."

Suddenly his hook came flying off of his wrist and went right to Regina, who caught it with one hand all while keeping eye contact with him. She finally looked away to perform some sort of magic on his hook, which started glowing for a few seconds as she waved her hand over it before it returned to normal, no signs of any spells being on it at all. Regina flicked her hand once more and in the blink of an eye his hook had reattached to its holder at his wrist once more.

"Go kill your crocodile."

With that, she turned and stormed out the door, her chin raised high and her shoulders back as if nothing bad had happened between them at all. Hook could only sit and watch her go, momentarily stunned by what had just happened.

He was only alone for a few seconds, however. Almost as soon as Regina's footsteps faded, in the corner of the room, Cora appeared out of thin air. He wondered how long she had been standing there.

"Such a pity, seeing one's own child have her heart broken."

Hook's eyes remained on the doorway Regina had just left through. After a few moments he turned to take in the new woman who was now in his presence. "Odd, I had thought you were familiar with that sight."

Cora laughed, but it was far from pleasant. "Quite an attitude for a man whom is supposed to be dead; a man whom I could kill with the flick of my wrist and no one would notice."

He sat back in his chair and smiled, giving the impression that her words weren't drenched with the truth. The only person in the world who would have noticed his death had just strolled away without even a glance back. He couldn't blame her; he had hoped she would leave and not return. It would make his job to avenge Milah's death all the more easier. He just hadn't expected it to hurt so badly.

"No argument, I gather?" Silence. "Well then I guess I should just cut to the chase, shall I? I'm here to discuss my daughter."

His smile faded.

"Regina is unwise; always has been." Cora slowly started to walk around the room, like a lion circling its prey. "Did you know I trusted her to kill you? I suppose that was my own mistake, trusting her with such a task. I never anticipated she would grow to care for you."

"Can't say I blame her really. It'd taste a lie to say I haven't been called irresistible in the past."

"And what about you, Hook?" she asked, ignoring his facetious comment. "Do you care for Regina?"

Hook paused, just for a second. Did he care for the woman? He wasn't sure why, but in his pause he saw an image of her crying just a few minutes ago. Without dwelling on it, he looked Cora straight in the eyes and said, "No."

Cora smiled her evil smile that Hook was all too familiar with. He had spent enough time with the woman to know when a particularly malicious plan sprung into her mind.

"That's good, Hook. Because I am going to kill her."

With that she turned and walked out, just like Regina had, and he was left once again speechless and alone, an aching feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the wait for this! I was on such a roll with fast updates and then I wrote a one-shot and fell behind a little on this chapter. Hope it's okay though! Next one will be up soon.**


	10. Chapter 10

Regina stood in her office with her hands clasped behind her back, staring out the window. The sky was overcast and the town was quiet. She wondered if this was the calm before the storm.

She assumed Hook was long gone by now. She hadn't heard from her mother in a few days, which she decided was not a good thing. The heart was still in its box resting atop her desk. Things were composed.

She decided now was the time to call Henry, before things got hectic. As she turned to get the phone however, she found Cora standing in the doorway. Regina stopped dead in her tracks. The phone call to Henry would have to wait. At least he was far away and safe. That was all that mattered.

"Mother, must you always sneak up on me like that?" she asked with a laugh to try to hide the nerves that just set in.

"I seem to make you nervous," Cora noted as Regina cursed herself for not being able to mask her emotions better. "If you truly trust a person, they shouldn't make you nervous."

"Are you implying that I don't trust you?"

"Trust is a funny thing," she started as she began walking around the room the way she always did. "What is trust? Believing someone? Having faith that they want what is best for you?"

"Mother…I don't understand…"

"The pirate. Why didn't you kill him like I asked you to?"

Regina felt her stomach drop. How had she found out? They had been so careful. Regina had barely slept a wink these past few weeks just so she could stay up at night to plan out how they would sneak around the following day. Her mother was impossible. There was no way to beat her. Regina wanted to grab the surface of her desk to steady her but she didn't want to show weakness to her mother. It wasn't until she looked at the desk, however, that she remembered the heart.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I-"

"Don't apologize to me. I asked you a question. Why didn't you kill him?"

"I am trying to be a good person." She felt tears come to her eyes.

"Why didn't you kill _him_, Regina?"

The tears started to fall, though she willed them not to. "I didn't kill him because he didn't deserve to be killed. He isn't a bad person."

"Oh, yes. He must be quite special to put him before your relationship with your own mother."

Suddenly, Regina realized she wasn't the only one in danger here.

"Please don't hurt him, Mother. I shouldn't have brought him into this. He didn't... I didn't mean to… Please, Mother. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorr-"

Cora put her hand up and all sound left Regina's mouth. She continued apologizing but no words came out. She could merely stand there and watch her mother, who had turned away from Regina as if she couldn't even stand the sight of her.

It was in that moment that Regina realized she was going to die. Her own mother was going to kill her. That was what she came here to do. Regina had betrayed her and Cora would rip her heart out just like she did to Daniel.

It was that image in her head that gave Regina the courage to do what she did next. Fueled by fear and hatred and God only knows what else, she slowly and carefully opened the box on her desk. Without making a sound, and being eternally grateful that her mother was too preoccupied with examining, and most definitely silently criticizing, her office, she grabbed the heart gently and held it behind her back.

Hook did not like today. There was just something about it, perhaps the cloudy sky or the eerie silence of Storybrooke. He wondered what Regina was doing and if she didn't like today either. He assumed the connection they once had, whatever it was, had been broken after their discussion yesterday.

His mind wandered to Regina. Well, could the mind wander back to something if it hadn't ever truly stopped thinking about it? He watched her leave. Then he watched Cora leave. After that he had sat in his chair, paced, sat some more, drank some more, paced again, repeated the cycle.

He wanted to pick up the phone-thing Regina had given him that he hated so much and call her. He figured if he heard her voice and knew she was okay, he would feel okay. Then he remembered that he was trying to believe that they no longer shared a connection.

But he didn't call. Instead he studied the hook, the hook that had been in her hand not too long ago. He thought back to the first time she held his hook. It was in the Belle girl's cell in Regina's castle. He could still remember turning around and seeing her for the first time. She was beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful. Even back then when he was so focused on his revenge, so focused he barely noticed anything in life, he had been struck by the Queen. And then she had spoken to him; so commanding and confident. He was enthralled. It was no wonder at all that they had ended up in her bedchamber that night.

Hook remembered thinking of her as he sailed into Storybrooke with Cora. He thought of the time he had called for Cora but Regina showed up instead and teased him about losing a giant; making him smile even when he was injured and no closer to killing Rumplestiltskin than he was before. He thought of the time Cora had told him to stay in Storybrooke and not go chasing after Gold. His eyes had flicked to Regina as if searching for confirmation from her that he should stay. Hook remembered her coming to his ship and asking for his help. He remembered her telling him about Daniel. He thought of laughing with her and fighting with her and kissing her.

He started pacing again; in his good hand he clutched the portrait of Milah that he kept with him at all times.

He wanted so much to talk to her. Not even to bring her back, though he did miss her constantly, because he had learned to accept her death. He just longed to talk to her; to hear her voice, always calm yet a fierce authority behind it that allowed even his crewmen to follow whatever commands she gave them. He wanted her to tell him what to do, to kill the man responsible for killing her or to move on.

Hook didn't know what to do, that much was certain, so he did what pirates do best and decided it was time to sail away.

"Didn't you learn from the last time, Regina?" Cora asked her, finally turning once more to face her. "You can't get rid of me."

Regina didn't have time to respond. Before she could even begin to process what her mother had said to her, she was flung backwards. Her head hit the wall hard; so hard that her vision blurred for a few moments. She was standing upright, bound to the wall by an invisible force that was slowly getting tighter and tighter.

"Was is worth it? Was that stupid pirate worth what has happened between us?"

This was it. Regina was going to die.

"Where is he now?"

The invisible force grew tighter.

"You spared his life and look what it got you, sweetheart. He couldn't even be bothered to show up to save you."

The heart slipped from Regina's hand. She tried to catch it but it dropped. Cora saw it slip to the ground and Regina saw her flinch a little at the pain. It only took a second for her to collect herself and then she let out a shrill cackle.

This was it, this was the end.

Henry would permanently move in with the Charming's. He would wake Emma up in the middle of the night when he had nightmares or run to her after school to tell her about his day. Hook would soon forget her. He would kill Gold and then sail back to where he came from. Their time spent together not even a distant memory to him. The townspeople would rejoice because The Evil Queen would be dead.

**A/N: Kind of a short one but I had to end it there because of reasons. The next one will be up depending on if I bring my laptop with me on my vacation next week. I may also post the first chapter of the other fic I started later this week so keep an eye out for that. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

The sky grew darker as Hook began untying his ship from the dock. He wondered if it was a bad omen, but he chose to ignore it as he continued unfastening the rope.

He had done this job more times than he could count. He arrived at his destination, made port, got whatever it was he came for, and then sailed away. He stopped to study his hook. That was the thing he had come for; it was poisoned just like he wanted. He could kill Rumplestiltskin. He had everything he wanted.

So, why then, was he miserable?

He put the rope down and looked closer at his hook. For him it symbolized who he had become: Captain Hook; the man who only looked out for himself, the man who only cared for revenge.

Revenge.

He had grown to dislike the word. When one thing repeats in a person's head all day everyday, it starts to become more of an annoyance than a goal.

Before revenge took over his life, Hook was a very different man. Before the hook, he was just Killian Jones. He had his crew, his ship and the sea. He was much happier back then. He hadn't been that happy since… well, quite frankly, since his night at the diner with Regina.

She had given him something that he thought he had lost a long time ago; hope. Hope that he could be a different man than he is now. Hope that Milah would want him to be that different man.

_He told me I could love again._

Hook didn't even notice his actions then, it was as if his hands were acting on their own accord as they stopped untying the rope and started to secure it tighter.

He seemed to have made a decision.

Before he knew it he was off the boat, running in the direction that he had grown to know so well.

He ran fast, faster than he ever had in his life. He didn't care if townspeople noticed, he wasn't even thinking about that. All he could think of was her. Regina. He had seen her just last night but it felt like years had gone by. He wished he could imagine any other memory besides their last night together, but he couldn't. All he could see in his mind were the tears in her eyes, the look on her face as she poisoned his hook, her back as she walked away. It made him run faster.

Finally after what felt like years, though it was much quicker than the usual time it would've taken him, he saw the house that he had grown somewhat attached to. He had so often met with Regina here, even eventually started to look forward to it. It had become his second home.

He turned the doorknob and was thrown back slightly due to it being locked. How could he forget that Regina kept it locked at all times? He had never questioned her on it but he had always had a feeling she locked it out of fear; fear of something that even her magic didn't scare off and something that scared her so much that even the small act of locking a stupid door could help her feel the tiniest bit safer. Hook hated the thought that that scary thing was currently inside the house with her. He knew Regina kept a key hidden for Henry incase he ever got locked out and Hook had found the hiding place a long time ago, but in his haste he chose to not waste any time and kick the door open.

The house was silent, except for his haggard breaths. He frantically looked around before running up the steps for the sole reason that he had a hunch.

He swung the door to her office open. So many times he had done it in the past and found Regina at her desk, calm and confident. She was usually shuffling papers around, not even bothering to look up at whoever had entered. God, he was amazed by her.

Today, however, was very different. Regina was up against a wall. She appeared to be stuck there, though he couldn't see how. Her head hung low as she took hard, slow breaths. Tears stained her face and he saw fresh bruises on her neck. His instincts kicked in and he took a step in her direction but stopped when he felt eyes on him.

Cora had turned to look at him; she looked more crazed than he had ever seen her. The smile on her face didn't help either.

"The heroic _pirate_ is here to save the day!" she cackled.

Regina's head swung in his direction sluggishly and her eyes found his. They looked like she was already dead. He didn't have much time.

"Sorry it took so long," he said to Regina. She could only look back at him.

The moment ended quickly when Hook was knocked backwards by Cora's magic. The familiar ache in the back of his head reminded him that she had done it to him before.

"Don't apologize, you're here just in time. I had planned to kill you later but now you've saved me the trip."

He groaned as he clutched his head and when the sharp pain calmed to a slight throb, he finally picked his head up to glare at Cora. This woman had caused so much trouble, so much sadness for Regina.

"Let her go," he told Cora, hoping to distract her from whatever magic she was using to hurt Regina.

Cora turned back to her daughter which gave Hook some time to stand up slowly and look around the room to try to find something, anything, that he could use to his advantage.

"Regina is worthless and unforgiveable. She deserves this."

Cora continued talking, going on and on about how much she hated her daughter, but Hook wasn't listening. His eyes fell on a glowing, red heart.

It was on the floor, as if it had been discarded. No one in the room seemed to remember that it was even there. Cora was still babbling. Hook knew he had to act quickly.

"Regina is not worthless. She deserves a life, a long and happy one. She deserves so much better than what you have given her. _You_ are worthless. You deserve nothing."

And with that, he dove. He hit the ground hard and reached his poisoned hook out as far as he could and stabbed Cora's heart. It turned black. Hook looked up at Cora, her eye's widened and she clutched her chest. In one quick moment she turned and looked at Regina, before collapsing to the ground.

Hook stood and walked over to her to make sure she was really dead. The woman was able to live without a heart for most of her life, he figured he ought to be positive before relaxing. When he confirmed that Cora was truly gone, he released a sigh of relief. "Bloody lunatic."

He then realized that two bodies had hit the floor, however, as the invisible force that was holding Regina gave way and freed her. She was on the ground coughing for air. Hook was at her side in an instant. His good hand grabbed hers immediately and her body leaned on his for support. Hook decided not to try to get her to her feet right away so they remained on the floor. After what felt like hours, Regina's breathing finally began to slow.

"There you are," he said in a comforting way. "Just breathe."

She didn't say anything at first; she only managed to lift her head to look at him. Her eyes found his and he wished he could pin point what she was thinking. He wanted to know if she was mad at him for what he did – everything that he did, from last night until just now. He wondered if she was upset or scared. He hated the thought of either of those options.

"I'm sorry, Regina," he blurted out, going against everything he had taught himself when he became captain.

The briefest, tiniest smile appeared on her face before she quickly realized she was quite literally sitting in Hook's lap and she frantically tried to move away from him. He helped her sit beside him with her back against the wall and it was only then that she let go of his hand.

"You're supposed to be in New York," she said with a raspy, quiet voice.

"I changed my mind."

She tried to sarcastically laugh once but it just made her cough. She groaned and ran her hand through her hair.

"Take it easy, darling. You've been through hell and back."

She nodded and when he looked over at her he saw that her eyes were fixed on her mother's body.

"She's really…" she started to say but her voice caught as a tear fell from her eyes. "Is she really…dead?"

"Yes."

Regina started to cry. Hook knew why; because when you love someone, even though they hurt you, it stings when they're gone. He wrapped an arm around her and was surprised when she didn't push him off.

They stayed like that for a while. Neither spoke a word. Regina couldn't find the correct words to mourn her malicious mother and Hook knew there was nothing he could say that might ease her pain. And so they sat. Regina cried until she couldn't anymore and then the grieving process was over. The evil woman Regina had feared for so long was gone. Her mother was dead and Regina was free.

Hook helped her to her feet. It was an unspoken agreement that they would part ways and never speak of it again.

But that wasn't enough for Hook. He couldn't walk away now, not after all they had been through, not after he was so close.

"I shouldn't have said any of that yesterday," he once again blurted out as they walked to the door and he grabbed her arm to stop her. He cursed himself inwardly for allowing this woman to make him behave so rashly. "I was drunk and confused and… I'm a pirate! I make a lot of mistakes."

"Yes, I know all about your _mistakes_,' she said, obviously recalling when he had said that their kiss was just that. "I'm not in the mood for this, Hook. I've had a bad day after another bad day after a bad year. I appreciate you coming here today but I can't hear anymore about your damn mistakes."

She turned to go but Hook stepped in front of her, desperate for her to listen.

"Regina, wait. I can't leave here without you knowing the truth, all right?"

"You're a pirate, you don't tell the truth."

"Well here it is anyway. The truth is that kissing you was not a mistake. I make a lot of mistakes, more than I care to admit, but that was not one of them. Spending time with you these past few weeks have been…extraordinary. You made me laugh, Regina. You made me fight and forget and live. I should have kissed you a long time ago, I've just been too thick to realize it."

She didn't say anything. Her eyes were once again filled with tears, a sight that was beginning to wear down on him. She looked at him and then down at her mother and then at her hands and then back at him. She sighed and shrugged but didn't say a word.

"I know it's hard. I know you're scared, love, but-"

"Scared?" she laughed. "The first person I opened up to since Daniel is a man that makes me so angry that I could scream. You don't make good decisions and you don't consider my feelings. And then you show up and save my life. And you say all these wonderful things and you make me so… _happy_. I hate you for that. I'm not scared, I'm terrified."

"I'm scared, too," he confessed quietly.

Regina seemed to think it over for what seemed like an eternity. Hook simply waoted; waited to find out if he had lost her, waited to find out if she would stay with him.

And then she kissed him; slowly, like they had all the time in the world. And they did. He responded immediately and pulled her close to him. After a while she moved her head so that it was by his shoulder and she simply hugged him. He held her tightly.

They had finally found their way to each other.

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS WAIT. Oh dear I went on vacation and then suffered from a terrible spout of writer's block and then I lost track of time and before I knew it, it was a month later and I hadn't updated! I can't apologize enough but hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter regardless. The only thing left after this one is the epilogue and I promise that will be posted so much faster than this chapter. Thank you as always for all the feedback on the previous chapters! Hope you're all doing well.**


	12. Epilogue

Regina bolted upright in bed, like she did often. Right after that day in her office when her mother died, Regina began having nightmares. At first they were a nightly ordeal, but lately they had become less predictable. Some nights she slept soundly. Other nights she was awoken with fear. Tonight was one of those nights.

She sat up straight in bed and could feel her body drenched with sweat. She couldn't tell if she was shaking or if she was just breathing too fast. With a sigh, she bent her knees up and buried her face in her arms.

In an instant, she felt a reassuring hand rubbing comforting circles on her back. He always woke up when she did. He was always there to calm her down and chase the nightmare away.

"Same nightmare, love?"

She simply nodded for fear that if she opened her mouth to speak she would either scream or sob.

"Alright, alright. 'Twas just a dream. Come back to bed," Hook told her, his tone soft.

She hesitated a little, apprehensive about lying back down and risking falling back into the world of her nightmare. Finally she sighed and fell back onto the bed, nestling as close to Hook as she possibly could. Her head rested on his bare chest and he wrapped a protective arm around her, somehow pulling her even closer than she had managed to get on her own.

"Tell me all about it, my dear."

"It was horrible, just like the others. I was… I was trapped again; the invisible ropes were getting tighter and tighter. And she was... just standing there, laughing while I was dying."

Regina always tried to avoid saying her mother's name. Whenever she said it a cold shiver shot down her spine, even though it had been months since the incident. Archie told her that it would get better with time, but luckily Hook never pushed her to say it. He always understood whom she meant.

"What about me? Did I show up this time?"

She shook her head. He never did in her nightmares.

"Ah, bloody coward," Hook joked. "That's how you'll always be able to realize when you're dreaming something terrible, I suppose. In real life, I'll always show up; like the sun every morning over the horizon." He squeezed her tightly. This was always where she felt safest, in Hook's arms at night.

"What kind of monster has nightmares about her own mother?" she wondered aloud.

"Hey, hey," he said as he sat up abruptly, pulling her up with him so that they both were in a seated position. "I will not allow that kind of talk about the woman I love, especially by the woman I love. You are no monster."

"But I've done-"

"What you've done does not matter, Regina. You've moved on. You're free now, she can't hurt you anymore."

He looked at her deeply in the eyes; his hands gripped her arms firmly, willing her to listen intently to him. He said something similar to her every time she awoke from her nightmares. She wondered if it ever got bothersome. He didn't seem like it did. She kissed him quickly before they positioned themselves back down on the bed once more.

"Do you ever have nightmares, Hook?"

"No one is immune to their demons."

There was a silence that Regina was afraid to break at first. Unsure of whether or not Hook wanted to discuss the things that scared him and unsure of if she wanted to hear those things at all. The thought of something scaring this man made her scared as well.

"What about dreams?" she asked after a while. Her face cuddled deeper into his chest and she breathed in his scent of rum and the sea.

"Yes I have dreams, dreams of staying in this bed with you forever while you wear that black thing that I like."

Regina laughed and hit him playfully. "I'm serious, Hook. What are your dreams of?"

He took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "I dream about us; our future together, the sea, you meeting my crew and sailing with me to wherever we please."

She smiled and closed her eyes, picturing them on his ship with the sun shining down on them. "And Henry?"

"The little lad is right there with us, of course. I talked to him just the other day about his room on the ship. He asked if there was anyway he could bring one of those television things onboard. I told him you don't need television when you have rum." She lifted her head to glare at him. "Just kidding about that last bit."

She laughed and a yawn escaped her mouth. "What else?"

"I dream about settling down in your castle. I haven't had a real home away from the Jolly Roger in ages. We'll have to remodel a tad, though. I reckon I'd like to paint the walls blue to remind me of the ocean."

"Absolutely not," she told him sleepily.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," he laughed before continuing in a quiet voice. "I dream about being with you forever. Whether we are on my ship or in your castle… if the walls are painted blue or something wretched like pink… if Henry decides he hates the sea and we have to live on a snowy mountain somewhere… we will never part…"

And with that, Regina drifted off to sleep with a peaceful smile on her face and in Hook's arms, the man that she had fallen in love with when she wasn't paying attention. She wasn't scared here; she was free. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't what she was expecting. But she was happy.

And it would only get better with time.

She would heal. Hook would too.

They would no longer be broken.

The End

**A/N: So that is the story of how two broken pieces became one whole, perfectly imperfect piece. This was my first ever Hooked Queen story and I adored writing it! My fellow shippers are the best and everyone who read, reviewed or favorited this story is a beautiful angel for supporting me and helping me to get this story finished. I hope you all continue to love this pairing as much as I do. I have such high hopes for what's to come for them. Thank you again for reading!**

**Also to anyone interested: I do have plans for another multi-chaptered story as well as a few one shots in mind. The multi-chaptered one is being organized right now and I hope to have it posted as soon as possible. Hope to hear from you all in the future!**

**See you in Storybrooke!**


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